Beyond Omega
by Maria Rocket
Summary: In the far distant future, an ancient prophecy spells out the end of the world. Pulled into the heart of controversy, innocent little Quatre must find the truth for himself. An AU fic. Pairings included are 1xR, 2xH, 4xD, and 4x3. See Author's Notes
1. In the End

In the End   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
  
A lone figure stood on the distant horizon. The light behind him was very faint, and it gave the dark sky an orange glow. The bare, rolling land stretched into the farthest places one could imagine. Only the wind had a voice. This was the land at the end of the world.  
  
The cloaked figure, his head raised high, stared into a starless sky. For just an instant, every light in the universe had gone out. It had been the longest instant in history, in which everything had been distorted forever. Horribly wounded beyond all repair, the heart of the universe cried out in anguish.  
  
The stars were still there, he could feel them now, but they were so weak. Like too many souls had, he had nearly been ripped apart during the chaos, but his star, his alone had not gone out. Nothing had surpassed his shock when that spirit he loved dearest had taken him in his arms, sheltering him from the storm.  
  
Somewhere out in the void, he had heard himself screaming. Somewhere his body was being seared and obliterated, atoms shrieking as they flew apart. Somewhere his mangled soul was screaming as it went hurtling into the heart of the chaos, finally becoming one with it. Oh, the madness, he could remember like something from a long forgotten nightmare emerging from memory. It hurt and he did not want to remember.  
  
How desperately he had clung to his star, daring to hope that at last death and love had come to him in one hour. He knew from what was that it couldn't be so, but his heart prayed to the empty void for what he had so long wished for. In the silent howling of the chaos, he thought words of eternal love and devotion whispered in his ear, pleading with him to stay strong, to hold on, to keep running.  
  
He knew then that his star was going to let go, as the newborn endworld came to a stop. He was determined that he would never let go now that he had the light in his grasp. He would use all the power he possessed, all the power of the cosmos to hold on to what he had pursued for so long. Yet there was but one power whose might surpassed the greatest he could summon.   
  
So as the dust settled, and remains of the universe lay violated, he stood alone in the wasteland. As he trembled, the earth trembled and split several times over, defacing the surface beyond what the chaos had caused. His eyes in the heavens, he did not cry, even as his heart keened with loss and despair. He had not cried since before the beginning of time.   
  
A few minutes. A few thousand years. He wasn't sure how long he stood there. But eventually he lowered his gaze, and turned his haunted eyes across the cracked dry earth, towards a place where a woman was screaming in childbirth, deep beneath the surface. It was almost time.   
  
Not ready to face what was to come, to face the complete unknown, he pulled his hood close about his head and turned away. His feet carried him as they had for countless ages, towards the faraway mountains, to the forests to hide for as long as he desired.  
  
Ahead of him he could see the shadowy runner, the dark light leading him on. And he would always follow, to the final destination, be it heaven, hell, or absolute oblivion. Always.  
  



	2. Chapter 1

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes:  
I do not own Gundam Wing, it's characters, etc, etc. However, the story and characters this fic is based on, are mine. The original story is something I've been working on for well over six years now, though I've never told it in any form for various reasons. After noticing how well the GW cast would fit into some of the roles, I decided to have some fun as well as experiment with telling the story for the first time. This fic is only one part of the original "epic", I'm not bothering with the first three "books" of the original, since it would call for an insane amount of original characters that I know no one wants to sit through. ^_^; So although I'm trying to keep it from getting too heavy, there may be a lot of confusing explantions, especially in the first few chapters, even with a lot of "unnecessary detail" trimming. ^^;   
  
Okay, now to the things you really want to know. ^_^; Quatre's the main character here, though there's definitely going to be stuff going on with the other characters. The world may revolve around Quatre, but this is a big world. ^_~; There may or may not be lemon scenes in this fic, it all depends on my mood when the scenes come along. However you should be warned that there's a very good chance there will be, and it could be yaoi, non-yaoi, or likely both. Which brings us to the subject that will probably insure that no one will read this fic if everything previous hasn't already scared ya off... ^^; Pairings that I know for sure will appear somewhere during the course of the fic: 1xR and 2xH. Main pairings in the fic: 4xD and 4x3. Though it's going to be a good while until either Trowa or Dorothy show up. If you really can't read it without knowing the definites on the last two, just e-mail me about it, and I'll tell you. No questions asked, I'll understand. ^^ Well, now that it's all said, I've finished this chapter, knowing that because of many factors, almost no one is going to read it. But this is definitely going to be an interesting experiment for me (LOL, this is pretty much my creative life's work! Sad, I know ^^;), and I'm hoping someone (uh, anyone? ^^;;) out there gives it a chance! Okay, I'll shut up now.   
  
  
  
  
***  
  
"I am the Alpha and the Omega,   
the first and the last,  
the beginning and the end."  
- Revelation 22:12  
  
***  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
The soft soles of his yellow sneakers made no sound on the polished floor as he made his way through the vast corridors of the palace. Wearing a loose black leather jacket over a tight white tanktop, and form fitting black stretchpants, he was an odd sight. Only the silver circlet about his head that dropped into a triangular point between his eyes, centered with a blood-like diamond jewel, gave any clue to his royal heritage.   
  
Beneath short, yet wild, tossed chocolate brown hair, dark steel-blue eyes glanced towards the towering transparent wall on his left that stretched from end to end of the corridor. The watery light of dawn drifted through, washing over the vines and plants that sprouted and dangled over almost every surface, even the light fixtures. Crystal droplets of dew still clung to the many exotic flowers that decorated the palace, creating an ethereal atmosphere that made him feel more like he was traveling through a vast rainforest than anything else.   
  
After turning several corners in a path he'd taken countless times before, he stopped before a door hidden away from the light. Gently, he knocked at the door. When there was no response, he placed his palm on the identification plate beside the doorframe.  
  
"Heero Yuy, authorization Alpha."  
  
With a buzzing response, the door unlocked and slid open.  
  
"You haven't forgotten the Draca are arriving today, have you?" He entered, switching on the lights. It was a large room, but nothing compared to the huge corridors outside. There were almost no plants here beyond a few ferns and flowers in the far corners. The walls were lined with bookcases and bureaus, with the occasional shelf of photos and trinkets. His eyes automatically headed towards a cluttered desk in the midst of it all, but found no one there.  
  
At the far end of the room, a soft moan came from beneath a lumpy featherbed.   
  
With a shake of his head, he approached the complaining lump. "Princess, don't you hear me?"  
  
"I hear you," grumbled a feminine voice from beneath the lump on the bed. "Now get out."  
  
"How do I know you won't just go back to sleep?" Heero raised a bushy eyebrow.  
  
Slowly, a head of tangled blonde hair and threatening blue eyes emerged from beneath the covers. "If you don't get out and let me get dressed in peace, I swear, I will find a way to make you suffer."  
  
Heero smirked. "Is that a threat?"  
  
A pillow flew out and smacked him in the head, sending his circlet askew. His eyes rolled up as he turned and marched out of the room. He ignored the giggles that followed him out.  
  
***  
  
"Hurry up! Quatre, we're going to miss everything!"  
  
The boy with the long chestnut brown braid and the violet eyes bounced up and down impatiently. Like most young boys his age, he wore only a long cloth tied about his waist that hung loosely in the front and back as a loincloth, and a pair of strapped sandals. Duo's cloth was black, his favorite color, with a few blue designs stitched in by his mother. He paced his worn sandals back and forth in front of the cottage where his best friend lived.  
  
Only to jump in surprise when the front door suddenly opened up to reveal a mountain of a man in a long grey robe. Duo squeaked. It was Quatre's guardian, Rashid. "Hey, don't scare me like that! Rashid, where's Quatre?"  
  
"Quatre can't play outside today," Rashid answered gruffly.   
  
"What!?" Duo screeched. "Why not? The Draca are visiting the kingdom today! Me an' Quatre were going to watch 'em fly in, but we gotta get there early! Please, please, Rashid!"  
  
Rashid shook his head firmly. "Quatre has his studies. Perhaps it would do you good to remember your own. Maybe tomorrow, Duo." With that, he closed the door.  
  
"Studies!?" Duo cried. "I studied yesterday! Awww, Quatre!"  
  
Suddenly, a small blonde head popped out of a window towards the top of the cottage.  
  
"Quatre!"   
  
"Shhhhh!" Quatre hissed. His bright blue eyes glanced over his shoulder nervously, then leaned out towards Duo. "I'm coming down, catch me!"  
  
"Huh!? Catch you!?"  
  
Without another word, the small blonde boy jumped out the window towards Duo. Almost immediately they both went crashing to the forest floor. Swaying slightly, Quatre pushed himself up on his nearly squished friend.  
  
"Sorry... It was the only way out."  
  
"Ufff!" Duo crawled away. "Damn, Quatre! You're heavier than you look!"  
  
After picking himself up, Quatre helped Duo to his feet. He was dressed in a fashion identical to Duo. The only real differences were that his loincloth was white, and the wide black band of cloth tied tight around his right thigh. He ran off down the trail behind the cottage, dragging Duo behind him.  
  
"Quick, let's get out of here before Rashid notices I'm missing!"  
  
"What's with him anyway?" Duo stumbled as he caught up to Quatre's pace. "He's usually so cool..."  
  
"Dunno, when I told him the Draca were coming today, he said I couldn't go out."  
  
"That's just weird," Duo grunted and shrugged the matter off. "You better hurry up, or I'm going to get to see a dragon before you do!" He laughed and ran ahead of Quatre.  
  
"Hey! Slow down!" Quatre puffed, scrambling to catch up with the braided boy.  
  
***  
  
As the sun ascended from behind the vast wall of the Ashlock mountains, its light spread over the seemingly endless forestlands beyond them. This wild land embraced by the mountains was known as the Cinq kingdom, home of the Peacecraft royal family, whose influence and ruling power extended far beyond their own people. According to legend, long ago, it was a Peacecraft who led the slaveclass to freedom and became the first king. Now it was always a Peacecraft who led the free kingdoms in war and peacetime. Whether she wanted to or not.  
  
Standing atop the largest structure in the entire kingdom, Princess Relena felt overwhelmed by the enormous size of the forest surrounding her. It looked like nothing but endless trees, but she knew that down there an entire civilization was living their lives, looking up to her almost as they would a goddess. Her ancestors had been extraordinary people, but she herself felt unworthy of the incredible respect given to her. It was only chance that she was descended from them and shared their name. Yet there she was, standing on the great golden pyramid which was the royal palace. It dwarfed the most gigantic of the ancient trees, and could be seen anywhere in the entire kingdom. Their people preferred simple living, but the palace had been built as a monument, a symbol of their achievements.  
  
She hadn't earned the right to be the lady of such a magnificent palace, and she didn't feel she would ever be a proper princess. If it weren't for Heero always at her side she didn't know how she would manage. He no longer had a kingdom or a people to speak of, but he was more of a royal than she could ever imagine being. She tugged at the long sleeves of the white jumpsuit she wore, trying to straighten it out. About to reach down and adjust her gray boots, she felt a hand at her shoulder, causing her to jolt.  
  
"Relax, Princess. You forgot this."  
  
She looked up to find Heero holding her circlet out to her. It was a brilliant gold, and like Heero's own, it had a triangular point rising out of it. Centered in it was an aqua blue jem in a diamond shape. She slid it on hastily, barely making sure that the point was facing up, as was proper for a female royal.  
  
"Thank you." She tucked her honey-colored hair behind her ears, trying uselessly to hide it from the playful winds that tugged and danced with it. "Do you have any idea what this is all about? I don't remember Queen Silva ever coming down from the mountains before. You don't think they've seen something happening on the other side of the mountains, do you?"  
  
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Just because she hasn't been down from there since the last big war doesn't necessarily mean anything. Dragons like keeping to themselves. We'll find out soon enough."  
  
"Look!" Shouted one of the court members behind them. "Towards the mountains!"  
  
Appearing to soar out of the glowing disc of the sun itself, several large winged shapes glided out over the forest sky. As they approached the palace, she felt Heero stiffen beside her. Her own heart was thudding wildly in her chest as the air went into a frenzy, heavy with the sound of slapping leather. Like bizarre birds of prey, the dragons landed effortlessly only a few feet before her. These were the Draca.  
  
A few of them glowered at Heero, while the others were far more reserved. At the forefront was the largest of them, Silva Draca, Queen of Dragons.  
  
According to their old stories, the Draca had once been no different than any other human being. Anyone that saw them would have a hard time believing it. The Draca were within their own race, perhaps one of the most diverse creatures on the planet. They came in various shapes and sizes, some mammalian in appearance, others reptilian, and most somewhere inbetween. Silva's thick leathery skin was dark green, while the bat-like wings folded on her back were covered with tiny, faded baby blue scales. Her sharp claws and small horns running down her snout, ending in a long one on her nose, and the large barbs on her tail were a shimmering mother of pearl. Around long pointed ears and above dark blue human-like eyes, a shock of pink hair extended down her long slender neck. This serpent-like neck bowed in greeting.  
  
"Good morning Princess Relena. And Prince Heero."  
  
"And good morning to you as well," Relena smiled. "It's been a long time since you've visited our kingdom, even though we are neighbors. This is a real honor."   
  
"The Draca have always been proud to serve your family, princess." Silva spoke softly. "Which is why you must hear all that I have to tell you."  
  
"Hn." Heero frowned. "This isn't just a friendly visit, is it?"  
  
"I'm afraid not. This is a very serious matter." The dragon lifted herself up to crouch on her hind legs. "Have you ever heard of the Omega Prophecy?"  
  
Heero's frown deepened.   
  
Relena looked between Heero and Silva with concern.   
  
"The Omega Prophecy?"  
  
***  
  
"Duo! Please stop!"  
  
With a moan, Duo stopped and turned around. Quatre was still far behind him on the forest trail trying to catch up, huffing and puffing.   
  
"C'mon!"   
  
"Slow down!" Quatre pouted. "You know I can't run as fast as you can."  
  
"What, do you want me to carry you there or something?" Duo sighed, waiting. A small movement in the trees near the trail caught his eyes. He wandered off the trail into the dark grasses of the forest. "Hey..."  
  
When Quatre finally caught up, he found Duo staring up into an old mossy tree. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking up into the tree as well.  
  
"I think someone's hiding up there," Duo whispered.  
  
"Probably just a squirrel or something," Quatre looked back at the trail impatiently. "Come on, I thought you were in a hurry!"  
  
"We'll see," Duo grinned impishly, scooping up a small rock. Narrowing his eyes, he flung it up into the branches above. There was the sound of stone impacting wood. And the skittering sound of something breaking twigs as it moved through the leaves.   
  
Quatre's mouth parted gently in wonder. "There's something big up there!"  
  
With a triumphant grunt, Duo threw another rock.  
  
This time they were answered by booming roar. Maybe not exactly booming, but it was definitely a roar, and it sent the two boys scrambling back in fright. An almost feline creature leapt out of the tree and landed on all fours in front of them. Its thick leathery skin was white as snow. With its tail whipping behind it, at first glance it seemed completely animal, however, the creature's face was almost human. But along with a slightly protruding snout which had a small horn on top, there was a larger horn curving back from above two burning obsidian eyes. On each cheek, were three blue slashmarks, with one blue dot on either side of the middle mark. Pointed ears stood out against black hair pulled back tightly in a small ponytail. Opening a mouthful of fangs wide, the creature reared up on its hindlegs, bringing itself up to the boys' eyelevel. Clawing fearsomely at the air, it exposed a dark blue underbelly, and spread an enormous wingspan of equally dark blue scaled wings, making itself look even bigger than it was.   
  
When the young dragon charged, the boys ran screaming.  
  
***  
  
"Princess Relena, I'm surprised," Silva swished her tail in disappointment. "After all, it was your great ancestor, the first Peacecraft king who originally received the Omega Prophecy from the Prophet himself."  
  
"I-I'm sorry," Relena replied. "I lost my entire family at the end of the last great war. The blast that created the Ivory Desert killed them all in battle when I was only an infant. I was never told of any prophecy."  
  
"Mm." Silva nodded. "The very creation of that desert was a sign that the time is coming soon. According to the prophecy, the Omega will come from the east, across white sands. When the war ended, the meaning became clear."  
  
"But what is the Omega?" Relena noticed that Heero seemed to be moving away.  
  
"That isn't an easy question to answer," Silva answered with a bit of a sigh. "That's like trying to explain who the Prophet is."  
  
Relena was growing more frustrated by the moment. She really wanted to drag Heero back, since he seemed to be more familiar with this than she was. She didn't know about the Omega Prophecy, but she did know that the Draca were a very mystical people, and had many such prophecies. Although they were highly respected for their wisdom, and their loyalty to the Cinq Kingdom, very few regarded their more farfetched beliefs and prophecies with any seriousness. It was very difficult to judge when it came to the Draca. For instance, it was almost universally acknowledged that a person simply called 'the Prophet' lived at the time of the first Peacecraft king, and was an advisor and spiritual leader of some sort to both the king and especially the Draca whom he supposedly first appeared to. Most historians agreed that he was most likely a rogue wizard. The Draca however, believed he was something more powerful than your typical wizard. They also believed that he was immortal, and had appeared several times since in history, though rarely recognized because of his shapeshifting abilities. Relena, along with most of surviving society believed most of the stories to be highly unlikely, despite the odd recording here and there in historical texts of claims of having seen or spoken to someone believed to be the Prophet. Relena herself always considered the majority of the stories about the Prophet to be fairytales and the result of overactive imagination. She wasn't sure how to deal with the very real worries of a very respectible people over something she viewed as superstition.  
  
"The Omega," Silva explained, "is the end of everything, the end of all existence. It is also the name of the one with the power to bring it all about. It would be someone of wizard descent, yet born from the descendants of the slaveclass, here in the Peacecraft kingdom. It could even be you, Princess."  
  
"That's impossible," Relena was slightly insulted. "How could there possibly be anyone of wizard descent living here? The wizards loathed our people."  
  
Something in Silva's eyes seemed to darken for a moment. Relena wasn't believing in any of this, but the situation was beginning to worry her. And Heero's own sudden aloofness wasn't making her feel any better.  
  
"I am unable to explain," Silva continued. "But the prophecy is already set in motion. These are the times, and the Omega is already among us."  
  
***  
  
"Brilliant idea, Duo!" Quatre hollered as they bolted through the forest. "Now we're going to be eaten by some monster!"  
  
"I didn't think there were any more monsters in the valley!" Duo wailed. "How was I supposed to know!?"  
  
Before Quatre could shoot off a retort, his foot caught in a twisted treeroot, sending him sprawling onto his face with a surprised shout. He tried pushing himself up, but a quick look behind him revealed his foot tangled in the root and the ropey shrubs growing around it. He turned around and tried to pull himself loose. Then it was too late to do anything about it. The dragon was leaping towards him. He screamed.  
  
"Quatre!" Duo turned back to see his friend cowering beneath the glossy white beast. "Don't die, man!"  
  
This only prompted Quatre to shriek even louder in absolute terror. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and he couldn't rip his eyes away from the black pools staring down at him.   
  
The white dragon winced and drew back, his pointed ears folding back against his head, away from the offending noise. "Please stop that terrible screeching. By the Prophet, it sounds like you are attempting to raise the dead!"  
  
Quatre's screams cut off abruptly, creating a sudden deep silence. His eyes were still as big as saucers as the dragon jumped over him and towards Duo. The braided boy gave a yip of fright, then there was a thwok sound, followed by a yip of pain. At the sound, Quatre yanked himself free. After scrambling to his feet, he turned around to face whatever horror awaited him.  
  
With a twisted look of pain on his face, Duo was rubbing his arm. It looked a little red, as if someone had hit him with a decent sized rock. The dragon was standing up on its hind legs, crossing its arms across its chest with a satisfied fanged smirk. Quatre gripped his chest, willing his hysterical heart to calm down. Maybe they weren't going to die after all.  
  
"Hey... What kind of monster are you?" Duo hitched up the cloth around his waist, his violet eyes becoming impossibly rounder.  
  
"I'm not a monster!" The dragon scowled. "I am Wufei, Crown Prince of the Draca Kingdom! How dare you call me a monster, you rock throwing scoundrel!"  
  
"Does that mean you're not going to eat us?" Quatre ventured hopefully.  
  
Wufei gave Quatre a hard, astonded stare. "I don't eat people. Especially ones as strange as you two. Now if you'll excuse me..."  
  
"Hold on, you're really a dragon, aren't you!" Duo fell into step beside Wufei. "Cool! But y'know, I always thought dragons were, well, y'know... Bigger?"  
  
Swallowing his fear, Quatre agreed with Duo. Now that Wufei was walking on all fours again, with his wings folded on his back, and not looming over him with a mouthful of sharp fangs, the young dragon was much smaller than Quatre had first thought. The white dragon was barely an inch over them when he stood upright, but at the moment, he barely reached their waists.   
  
"What's wrong with my size?" Wufei growled. "I'm a fine size for a dragon my age!" He fanned out his wings while they were walking, attempting to make himself appear larger. "However, you look pretty scrawny for a human!"  
  
"Hey! I am not!" Duo protested.  
  
"I'll vouch for that," Quatre smiled. Now that his fear was ebbing away, he found himself liking this dragon. After all, he and Duo had set out that morning to see a dragon, and a dragon had come to them! "Um, can you really fly with those?" His eyes traced the arch of one sapphire wing.  
  
"Of course." Wufei's slender neck curved as he looked back at his own wings. "I flew all the way down from the Ashlock mountains to get here."  
  
"Can we see you fly?" Quatre shared an excited glance with Duo.  
  
"No, there's no room to fly in this forest." With a long loping gait, Wufei ran ahead a few feet. Then he spun around to face them. "There are forests in the mountains, but nothing like this! It's like a blanket!"  
  
"Yeah, a lot of trees, some rocks, and a chipmunk or two." Duo dropped down into the grass, his legs folding beneath him. They had run into a brightly lit meadow, but sitting in the deep grasses, Duo was streaked with shadows. "But if you're looking for some real excitement, the palace is the place to be!"  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"Heero lives there," Quatre answered with a grin.  
  
"And there's nothing going on in the kingdom that Heero doesn't know about," Duo laughed. "At least that's what he says."  
  
"It's just that if anything interesting is happening, it's happening at the palace," Quatre explained, moving around Wufei to get a full view. "Or if something interesting is happening elsewhere, Heero will know about it. Like today, we knew the Draca were coming because he told us about it yesterday."  
  
"This Heero, he wouldn't happen to be Prince Heero, would he?" Wufei whipped his tail at Quatre, shooing him away.  
  
"Only Heero I know," Duo nodded.   
  
"The last of the GESS?"  
  
"Yeah..." Quatre's voice trailed off, and his eyes drifted back towards the woods surrounding them. A faint, unintelligible whispering filled his senses, shutting out everything else. Over every inch of his skin, he felt an electric tingle gently flow about him like an invisible veil. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He wasn't aware of anything beyond the distant woods in his direct line of vision. He wasn't even afraid. All he knew was that something was out there, and it was watching him.   
  
He realized he was whispering something under his breath, but he didn't know what it was. He could hear it, but he couldn't understand it. The whispering was almost deafening. As it became even louder, he felt the world around him fading away even more. Still, he was not afraid, even though he knew he should be.  
  
Then for a split second, the world flashed a brilliant white. When his vision cleared, it returned in perfect clarity. He was standing in the woods. Looking out at a sunny meadow, watching a small dragon and a braided boy arguing in a very animated way. Neither were paying any attention to the blonde boy with them. He was standing with them, but his face was turned and staring straight at him. Never had Quatre seen such an eerie look on anyone's face. And it was his own face.   
  
In that same split second, he was finally filled with panic.  
  
Too close!  
  
Staggering, Quatre suddenly found himself back in his own body. Everything was normal again. He gasped sharply at the shock, and just blinked up at Duo as his friend steadied him by the shoulder. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was awake. "Too close?" Quatre raised an questioning eyebrow at Duo.  
  
"Huh? Hey, you okay?" Duo stared at his friend with a look of concern. Even Wufei, now pulled up on his hind legs, looked worried.  
  
"Too close?" Wufei repeated. "Is something here afflicting you?"  
  
Quatre shook his head, pulling a hand back through his hair. "I dunno... I guess I had some kind of spell..." He smiled weakly. "Eh, probably from all the excitement on an empty stomach."   
  
"You sure?" Duo still had a steady hand on Quatre. "You look pretty shook up."  
  
A mirthful smile spread across Quatre's pale features. He leaned across and kissed the tip of Duo's nose. "Thank you for saying so."   
  
"Augh!"   
  
Laughing, Quatre ducked and jumped away to barely avoid a hard swat to the head. Duo rubbed the back of his arm across his nose with an annoyed grumble. "I wish you'd stop doing that! You know what I meant!"  
  
Standing with his legs and arms wide apart, looking ready to run at any moment, Quatre just grinned. "I'm fine, really." And he felt fine. Strangely, he found he could no longer remember just what had happened. Joking around with Duo, he felt much better now, and hungry. He turned towards Wufei. "I know, you can come with us to the palace, and we can all get something to eat."  
  
"Provided it isn't us," Duo added. "And Wufei, I'll introduce you to Heero myself. He's a great guy, and I'll prove it to you!"  
  
"We shall see," Wufei growled. "I've always wanted to meet a GESS."  
  
With that, Wufei and Duo raced off into the woods, headed in the direction of the palace. By the time Quatre caught up with them, he was so filled with excitement as to what surprises the rest of the day would bring, he had completely forgotten all about his bizarre experience in the meadow.   
  
In the air, birds chirped and whistled in the treetops, and Duo and Quatre's jubilant shouts sailed high. There was even a fierce roar, which was then answered by even louder, more raucous shouts. As the cries finally faded with distance, a dark figure in a hooded cloak moved from behind a tree, towards the brightly lit meadow.   
  
As the figure crossed into the light, it simply disappeared.  



	3. Chapter 2

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Check the notes attached to Chapter 1 for full warnings and other such stuff. I've pretty much pulled through all the really sludgy stuff, it's going to start speeding up after this... Well, except that I write so dang slow... ^^;;  
  
***  
  
Can't you see them?  
See the signs  
You see them  
All the signs we see them  
Can't you see them?  
  
~from "Signs" by Creed  
  
***  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
Cupping his hands around his eyes, Quatre squinted up at the golden brilliance of the Cinq Palace. At the very top, he could see the occasional flash of brightly colored wings large enough to be clearly seen. Duo was right, he thought. Dragons did come much bigger than Wufei. Feeling a poke on the shoulder, he dropped his gaze.  
  
"C'mon, we're going to get caught if we stand around too long." Duo was watching the forest around them nervously. He frowned, then twisted around in a complete circle with a confused look on his face. "Hey, where's Wufei, he was right here a second ago...!"  
  
"Duo," sighed Quatre. "Why must we always go through this?" He pointed towards the ancient bluestone walkways surrounding the palace. "He's over there."  
  
The Draca prince was throughly fascinated with one of the many decorative fountains around the palace. He was walking around its four-sided ledge, made to resemble the four-sided star that was the symbol of the Cinq Kingdom. What had his attention was the statue within the glimmering veil of water. It was a big dragon, wings spread, sitting quite regally on its haunches. Covered with large plates, Quatre imagined it must have been terribly impressive to see in real life. Something about the molded shock of swept back hair and the face reminded him a lot of Wufei.   
  
"Wufeiiiii!" Duo hissed. "Get back here!"  
  
Either Wufei couldn't hear him, or was ignoring him, as he didn't respond. Before Duo could do anything else, something sprung out of nowhere and seized him from behind. Quatre stepped back to avoid friendly fire.  
  
"AAAAAAAHHHH!! Get off! Get off!" Duo hollered.  
  
"Trespassers!" His captor sneered. "You know the penalty for trespassing on Her Royal Highness's Glorious Achievement!?"  
  
Quatre couldn't help rolling his eyes.  
  
"Nooo!" Duo struggled frantically. His eyes widened in fear as his fate descended upon him. Smack on the nose.  
  
"Augh!" With a look of disgust, he rubbed his nose with the front end of his waistcloth. "Twice already, and it isn't even midday yet!"  
  
"Hello, Hilde." Quatre greeted his friend's attacker with a grin.   
  
The raven-haired girl was wearing a green uniform and blue boots and gloves, exactly like what was worn by the palace guards. However, she wore no patches of rank. She was one of the few junior guards that patrolled the palace. There wasn't much to guard the palace from to begin with, so the Junior Guard tended to cause trouble more than anything else. But Heero supported the young band of overenthusiastic do-gooders. Most who joined the Junior Guard eventually quit when they discovered it wasn't as exciting as they thought it would be.   
  
For some, pride and honor tied them to the duty. But Quatre knew that for Hilde, the excuse to annoy the senses out of Duo was an opportunity that far outweighed such things.   
  
"You two missed the dragons flying over this morning," she informed them, setting her hands on her hips. "It was incredible! I bet it was like that with the big hoverships back during the war! Huge!"  
  
"We woulda been here if slowpoke Quatre here hadn't gotten himself grounded."  
  
"Grounded?" Hilde turned a wry grin onto Quatre. "Is our sweet little Quatre turning into a bad boy?"  
  
With a huff, Quatre, drew himself up to his full one inch of height over her. "I am not little!"   
  
"Sweet little, little Quatre, you know we wuv you, don't get upset," Duo mocked him in a sugary sweet voice. "You're so sensitive."  
  
With a growl, Quatre pounced on Duo, throwing the braided boy to the ground. "I'll teach you!" He began planting big, wet, noisy kisses all over his friend's face. "Mwah! Mwah! I wuv you too, Duo!"  
  
Duo yelped. "Not again! Hilde, save me!"  
  
The girl just leaned back against a tree and laughed herself to tears as Quatre and Duo wrestled playfully on the forest floor. Tearing her eyes away from the tumbling tangle of limbs as she wiped at her eyes, she finally noticed the small dragon at the fountain. Her icy blue eyes widened.  
  
"Wow! Guys, look over there!"  
  
"Huh?" Duo looked up from where he was now sitting on Quatre's back, trying to keep the other boy from getting up. "Oh yeah, that's Wufei! We found him on our way over here. That's the other reason we were late."  
  
"Uff!" Spitting leaves out of his mouth, Quatre took advantage of Duo's moment of distraction. With a quick backwards jab of his elbow, he knocked the wind out of Duo. As the other boy wheezed from the blow, he pushed out from under him. He took cover behind Hilde. "We're taking him to meet Heero."  
  
"Then you've come to the wrong place." Hilde stopped staring at Wufei, turning her eyes towards Quatre. "I just saw Heero tear out of here about fifteen minutes ago."  
  
"What!?" Duo was about to pounce Quatre again, but stood straight up in surprise. "What's he doin' takin' off while the Draca are visiting?"  
  
"Got me." Hilde shrugged. "But it looked like he was headed towards Kandor Falls." She leaned in towards the boys with a secretive gleam in her eye. "There's a rumor going around that the Draca are here to negotiate for permission from Relena to locate and execute somebody."  
  
"You think Heero's looking for somebody?" Duo asked.  
  
"But why? And who could they be looking for?" Quatre looked between Duo and Hilde. Then he bit his bottomlip doubtfully. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions though. I mean, the last rumor that came down through the Junior Guard was about a giant living in the palace basement." He crossed his arms across his pale chest. "And we all know what came of that fiasco."  
  
"Don't look at me!" Duo squeaked. "If we hadn't gone down and had a look, we'd still be wonderin' if it were true or not! And that's why," he grabbed Quatre's wrist and started pulling him along towards the palace, "we're going after Heero and finding out what's really going on!"  
  
"Umm... Why don't you just ask your dragon friend?" Hilde followed them.  
  
"Ask me what?" Wufei bounded up to them.   
  
"If you came down to execute somebody," Quatre stopped and pulled out of Duo's grasp. "Our friend Hilde has been hearing rumors."  
  
Wufei looked Hilde over. "I have no idea. Grandmother has important matters to discuss with the Princess. That's all I know."  
  
"See! I'll bet I'm right!" Hilde said gleefully.   
  
"Yeah, yeah," Duo waved the matter away impatiently. "Just tell us where Heero went already. I need to hear it from the man himself!"  
  
"I told you, Heero took off towards Kandor Falls. I have to stay on duty, but if he tells you anything more, come back and tell me!"  
  
"We will," Quatre called back as he chased after the already departing Duo and Wufei, his sandals clattering on the stone beneath his feet.  
  
***  
  
  
Intense blue eyes stared up into mist and stinging droplets. Engulfed in the roar of the waterfall, Heero found enough peace to feel guilty for leaving Relena's side. Never before had he seen her look as lost as she had before he left. But then, she'd never had to deal with anything as serious as the Draca.  
  
They very badly wanted someone dead. Someone they believed would bring about the end of the world. Heero's fists clenched at his sides. He knew Relena well enough to know that she wouldn't allow it. She didn't believe in the old legends. There was no way she would let them execute anyone based solely on their beliefs.   
  
And he doubted the Draca, who had a reputation for being fanatical, would just let the matter slide by. They believed they were fighting against the evil destroyer of the world, as foretold by the Prophet. They would likely be willing to risk anything, even their ties to the Cinq Kingdom, just to succeed in their mission.   
  
His own feelings were mixed. He wasn't about to stand by as who knew how many people were accused of something that hadn't even happened yet. He was still shocked that those as wise as the Draca had suggested such madness. But a small biting doubt pestered his mind. What if they were right?  
  
A few years ago, before he settled into his royal duties, he had traveled beyond the kingdom, searching for survivors of the war. Specifically, for others like himself. He saw and did many things, but he never found any other survivors of his people. He was the last descendant of the Genetically Enhanced Super Soldiers that served, then rebeled against the Wizards in the ancient days. And it was during these travels that he learned of the Omega Prophecy.   
  
It was a foreboding legend of an ancient evil reborn into a boy of Wizard and slave descent. There were several variations he had come across. But one aspect had always been the same, and it now haunted him.   
  
The Omega would be born in the days of the last GESS prince.  
  
And there was no longer any doubt in his mind that he was the last. The war had wiped out his people in a single blow, leaving only himself. Were they really living in the last days? Unless... Heero crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Unless...  
  
Of course whatever the outcome, he would remain faithful to Relena's decision.   
  
A loud squawk interrupted his thoughts. He lifted his arm and allowed his pet Bimary to perch there. The parrot-like creature ruffled its emerald feathers in the mist. Its long bushy tail wrapped around Heero's arm as it scratched at its bald, blue, lizard-skinned head with the tiny claws on its wingtip. Then it turned with flashing black eyes and opened its yellow beak wide to screech at something Heero couldn't see.  
  
"Yeah Klarn," Heero stroked his pet, "I hear them. Can't hide from those two for long. It doesn't help that you let them know exactly where I am whenever they get close."  
  
Sure enough, a familiar braided boy came crashing through the mist. Heero expected to see the blonde boy who usually shadowed Duo, but instead was surprised to see a small white dragon loping after him. And farther behind came Quatre, nearly tripping over his own sandals trying to keep up.  
  
"Eh, Heero!" Duo yelled over the noise of the rushing water. "There you are! Have you met Wufei? What are you doing out here, man? What's going on, c'mon give us some dirt!"  
  
"Uh, hi," Quatre waved, finally catching up with the other two.  
  
Wufei was just staring at him. Heero stared back, feeling himself tense up. Unlike the dragons he had met earlier, he saw no bias or mistrust in his young eyes. Merely curiosity. Heero felt that he would like this young dragon if he could. The curse of his people only allowed him a grudging respect.  
  
"Hello," he greeted Wufei coldly.  
  
"Your majesty," Wufei responded.  
  
"Prince Wufei, I'm surprised to see you wandering alone. Does your Grandmother know you're out here?"  
  
"My Grandmother knows I am capable of taking care of myself," said Wufei, lifting his head up high.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Duo looked between them impatiently. "Just tell us what's going on already!" He looked to Quatre, who nodded eagerly.  
  
Heero shrugged. "Just politics. Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss at the moment." He lifted his arm to allow Klarn to fly away into the mist.  
  
"Heero, we just got back from the palace," Quatre said. "Hilde told us the dragons are looking to find someone... Is there a criminal running loose?"  
  
"None that I know of."  
  
Duo looked fairly annoyed. "Alright Heero, you may be a few years older than me, you may be a hell of a lot stronger than me, you may be able to out run me any day of the week, but I'm the smart one here, you're gonna tell-- HEY!"  
  
With a smirk, Heero had escaped.   
  
***  
  
Duo scowled at the place where Heero had been standing a moment earlier. "One of these days, I'm gonna get that jerk..." It was useless to run after Heero. Nothing could catch him if he didn't want to be caught.  
  
Wufei looked absolutely mortified that Duo had spoken that way.  
  
Duo caught this, and snapped, "Hey, he's a GESS prince, and I'm no GESS. I'll call Heero whatever I please, thank you very much!"  
  
"Well, whatever you call him, it doesn't look like he's going to talk to us today." Quatre's angelic features lit up. "Why don't we try Relena?"  
  
A big triumphant grin spread over Duo's face. "Oh, of course! I don't know why I even bother with Heero..."  
  
"Because he's your hero," Quatre subtly interrupted.  
  
"He is not!" Duo subtly snapped, before continuing like he hadn't been interrupted, "...We can always count on Relena! Now there's a real royal!"  
  
Wufei looked a little dubious. "You valley people are strange."  
  
***  
  
After being kicked out on his rear for the umpteenth time, Duo shook a fist at the royal palace. "Down with Relena! Boo! Hiss!"  
  
Quatre was a little disappointed himself, but he wasn't anywhere as angry as Duo. After all, Duo was the one who kept trying to force his way in, only to be kicked out again and again. It really wasn't Duo's day. Obviously Heero had had a word with the guards. And the fact that Hilde and the rest of the Junior Guard were nearly dying with laughter wasn't helping.  
  
"Aw, shut up!" Duo spat at them, before finally stomping away. He looked over as Quatre and Wufei followed at a healthy distance. "You know Wufei," he growled, "you could have pulled a few strings. You are a prince, you know."  
  
"That would have been an irresponsible use of my power."  
  
Duo huffed, rubbing his sore backside.  
  
Actually, Quatre was glad they were getting away from the palace. He was sure Rashid must have noticed he was missing by now, and the palace was probably one of the first places he would look for him. Quatre was going to be in trouble when he got home, so he was in no hurry to be found. He was much more interested in getting Wufei to tell him all about dragons and their home in the mountains.   
  
"I mean, I've read so much about it, but I can only imagine," Quatre gushed excitedly. "Is it really like being on top of the world? What's on the other side of the mountains? I've heard it's a giant desert that stretches to the end of the world..."  
  
"I guess it's like the top of the world." Wufei said thoughtfully. "Though my grandmother tells me there are places much higher. But from where I live, you can see just about this entire valley, and on the other side, there's the White Woods, and the Ivory Desert... I don't know if it goes to the end of the world, but I can only assume, since no one who's tried to cross it has ever returned."  
  
"The White Woods?" Duo stopped, suddenly interested. "I think I've heard of it... Isn't it supposed to be haunted?"  
  
"Supposedly. And the desert is cursed because of all the people who died there." Wufei's voice became hushed. "And because that's where the Wizards lived. They had their city at the heart of the desert...it's an evil place."  
  
"Have you ever been there?"  
  
With a proud look, Wufei bobbed his slender neck. "I'm not afraid of spirits. I've been to the forest many times."  
  
"And the desert?" Quatre asked with wide eyes.  
  
Wufei's pride seemed to crumble somewhat. "I'm brave, but I'm not foolish!"  
  
Just then, Quatre looked up at Duo, and knew from that maniac grin on his friend's face, that he should probably run home and face the wrath of Rashid. The last time he had seen that look on Duo's face, he had ended up being caught in Relena's closet, clutching a pair of her underwear in one hand, and her bra in the other. He still couldn't quite look Relena in the face. And he had a feeling whatever was about to come out of Duo's mouth was going to end him up someplace much, much worse.  
  
"Wufei, you have to take us there!" Duo shouted, nearly jumping on Wufei in excitement. "Over the mountains, right now!"  
  
The dragon looked as horrified as Quatre felt. He was right. Duo was completely out of his mind, and taking them along for the ride.  
  



	4. Chapter 3

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: See Chapter 1 for complete warnings and pairings. Once again, thank you anyone who's actually reading my weirdness. I doubt it's any consolation to know that I really do know what's going on and going down in this fic. ^^; Whee, this chapter got too long, so I took scissors to it. To be continued next chapter! Of course. ^^  
  
***  
  
Hands on a window pane  
Watching some children laugh and play  
They're running in circles  
With candy canes and French braids  
  
Inspired to question  
What makes us grown-ups anyway?  
Let's search for the moment   
When youth betrayed itself to age  
  
So let the children play  
Inside your heart always  
And death you will defy  
'Cause your youth will never die  
  
~from "Never Die" by Creed  
  
***  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Wufei muttered to himself, watching Duo scramble up a mossy hill. Just through the trees ahead was a small cottage. From beside the dragon, Quatre suddenly jumped out and yanked Duo back down.  
  
In front of the cottage was a woman with long caramel brown hair, wearing a sweeping floral dress. Quatre recognized Duo's mother as if she were his own. She was a very friendly woman, and loved to talk. And she was very busy talking to Rashid. And the big man did not look happy.  
  
"I can't go over there!" Quatre hissed. "He'll catch me!" For a moment, he had considered putting an end to Duo's crazy scheme by giving himself up, but the severe look on Rashid's face had quickly banished that idea.  
  
"Then keep yourself hidden! I have to pack us some things before we can go!" Duo ran towards the cottage.   
  
At first it looked like Duo would run right into his mother and Rashid. Then Quatre saw the boy turn and creep around the back of the cottage, avoiding attention. With a nervous sigh, Quatre settled down in the roots of a gigantic tree. Next to him, Wufei folded his wings and hunched over, staring at the ground.   
  
Several anxious minutes passed. Occasionally, Quatre would peek out of his hiding place to check for signs of Duo. He was relieved when he looked out to find Rashid had gone, but that didn't mean he couldn't still be somewhere nearby. Finally, Duo slipped back out, hefting a backpack over his shoulder.   
  
"About time," Quatre griped as Duo hopped down next to him.   
  
"Yeah, yeah." Duo looked to Wufei. "Let's go!"  
  
"If my Grandmother finds out..."  
  
"You said your Grandmother knew you could take care of yourself," Duo grinned.  
  
"Yes, but she's bound to notice that I've gone missing. What will she think?"  
  
"We could leave a message with Hilde," suggested Quatre.  
  
"Okay, we'll do that," Duo nodded in agreement.   
  
***  
  
After leaving instructions with Hilde, they headed for the foothills on the far eastern side of the valley. For days they ran and walked, traveling mostly by night and sleeping in the day. Duo suspected that Heero might come after them, but there was no sign that the prince was on their trail.   
  
Fishing through the pack in the dark with a small flashlight, Quatre thought he wouldn't mind if Heero caught up with them, as long as he brought some food with him. "We're going to starve before we even reach the foothills." He brought out only a handful of crumbs. After a moment's consideration, he quickly licked them off his fingers.  
  
"I suppose this is what happens when you have a dragon as a traveling companion," Duo sighed miserably.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know the Draca can go days without eating, and can survive on mere berries if necessary." Wufei glared at Duo. "My people were created to be efficient. Unlike some people who continually snack all day long."  
  
"They were only chips!" Duo looked guilty.  
  
"And bread, and jerky, and cereal, and milk, and sugarbars, and..." Quatre quietly droned on wistfully.  
  
"Yeah, alright, alright," Duo grumbled.  
  
"...and pretzels, and apples..."  
  
"Alright already!"  
  
"...and chocolate...! Duo, how could you!" Quatre's stomach rumbled so loudly, the crickets stopped singing.  
  
Wufei looked smug.  
  
"So I was hungry," Duo refused to look in Wufei's direction. "Look, the nearest town is only a mile away. We'll just make a quick drop by the market and pick up a few things."  
  
As the crickets started up again, Quatre only hoped he had the strength to make it another mile.   
  
***  
  
The town Duo led them to was Maycer, a small farming town that existed on the edge of the forest and stretched out onto the hillsides. The community itself was very small, but the marketplace was the third largest in the kingdom. There were people there that did trade all over the valley and beyond.   
  
In the faint dawnlight, Quatre and Duo slipped into the marketplace from the surrounding forest. Many traders were already setting up their stands, as a few early browsers came wandering in. No one noticed the two boys sneaking around the carts. It had been decided by Duo that Wufei should stay behind and wait for them to return. A dragon, even a small one, would attract attention, and possibly lead any pursuers, such as Heero, straight at them.   
  
Crouched in the shadow of a carrot cart, Quatre stared up hungrily. His stomach rumbled in a now familiar way.  
  
"Eat something before your gut gives us away!" Duo hissed.  
  
"I can't just take it." Quatre hunched his body over his thighs, absently tugging at his black thighband in an anxious way. "Duo, I don't like this."  
  
"We don't have any money. What did'ja expect, that we were going to beg?" Duo narrowed his dark violet eyes. "If you want to starve, that's fine. You'll be so weak, we'll just have to leave you behind, so Heero will find you and drag you back home. Me an' Wufei will go over the mountains by ourselves."  
  
Deep in the pit of his insides, Quatre felt a burning at his friend's words. He was sure it was something like anger, but it could have just as easily been his poor stomach. Either way, he had no choice but to see Duo's implied logic. Darting a hand out, he captured the nearest carrot and devoured it. Duo did the same.  
  
"Let's fill the pack and get out of here," Quatre whispered.  
  
"We can't just live on carrots," Duo said, already putting a few into the pack. "Come on, I see a nice stand of rolls over there."  
  
Crawling through the dark and dusty corners of the market, Quatre followed after him. Despite a lingering guilt, he found he was actually having fun. It was exciting. And risky. As the sun rose higher in the sky, it became increasingly difficult to hide. As the crowds grew, and the shadows shrank, the game of snatch and grab had to become trickier and faster. Finally, they were almost caught, but Quatre had only to smile to ease suspicions.   
  
"That was a close one," Duo pulled Quatre away. "Good thing you have those big innocent baby blues, eh?"  
  
Quatre yanked the pack away from Duo. "That's enough. C'mon, let's go." Suddenly he wasn't having fun anymore. He turned to leave, slinging the heavy pack over his shoulder.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Quatre would have cried out as Duo pushed him under an unattended cart, but the other boy had clamped his hand firmly over his mouth. He struggled, only to stop when he heard Duo hiss another warning in his ear.   
  
"Quiet! He's here!"  
  
He saw what had sent Duo and himself under the moldy old cart. Directly in his path of sight, beyond the cart, walking through the bright green grass, was a pair of unmistakable yellow sneakers. He rolled his eyes up, and saw Duo, looking too shocked for someone who had been expecting this for days. The sneakers were coming closer, and Quatre didn't know if they could hide, even out of sight.  
  
It was Heero.  
  
***  
  
There were too many people, and it was too noisy. Heero marched through the market, the grim, focused look on his face enough to part the crowd as he came through. Only a few people recognized him, and they wisely stayed their distance. Heero rarely wore his circlet or anything defining his royal status unless the occasion called for it. He liked his anonymity when he could afford it. And at the moment, he was in no mood to play the noble prince. All he was interested in was finding Duo and Quatre so he could wring their skinny necks for making him run all over valley searching for them.  
  
Heero had returned to the palace to find Quatre's guardian, Rashid, waiting for him. The man had been exceptionally upset about something. Which had turned out to be that Quatre had gone missing. Heero still wasn't sure what had really been bothering him, since it wasn't unusual for Quatre to disappear sometimes for days at a time, getting into some mischief with Duo. He had tried to reassure Rashid that he'd seen Quatre with Duo and the Draca prince at the falls that very morning, but that news only terrified him. Before he could inquire any more, Rashid had rushed off.  
  
A prince with more important matters on his mind, he didn't think anything of it. He ended up spending a good deal of the day discussing the Draca's problem with Relena. Then Queen Silva had interrupted them late in the afternoon to announce that she couldn't find her grandson.   
  
Remembering his earlier meeting with Rashid, he rushed out. He had been unable to find Rashid, and his home was empty. Next he checked Duo's home, but only his mother was there. She didn't seem to think anything was wrong, though she had been visited by Rashid as well.   
  
Finally, he returned to the palace after making a through search of Duo and Quatre's usual hideouts. Relena was waiting for him. She had heard from one of the Junior Guard that Hilde had been seen with the missing three earlier that morning. Upon finding her, Relena had discovered the message the boys had left.  
  
They were going over the mountains.   
  
Just terrific. Now he was searching every inch of the foothills area, hoping to catch them before they started the dangerous route up the mountains. The Draca queen hadn't been too concerned once she heard what had happened, but Duo's mother was enraged. The woman was used to Duo's shenanigans, but this was no doubt the craziest thing Duo had ever done. The poor woman was clearly terrified as well, and Heero knew she had good reason to be.   
  
The Ashlock mountains were so treacherous, only the dragons could live there, and very few people ever climbed them. And even if the boys survived the mountains, they were apparently headed for the White Woods. Where the Draca still caught glimpses of both monster and mecha, some of the Wizards' vilest creations. If the boys made it there, they might never return.   
  
The prince glared across the bustling crowd of the marketplace. That Duo had managed to keep them hidden this long was ridiculous. How could they have gotten this far without being seen? How could anyone hide a dragon!? Even if the boys had been careful about keeping to the forests, surely someone should have seen them by now.   
  
Leaning over a strawberry stand, he confronted yet another trader. "Have you seen two boys and a dragon?"   
  
"I've seen a lot o' boys around here." The man looked at Heero's strange clothing. "You're not from around here, are you?"  
  
"I'm from Center. Are you sure you haven't seen anything? A boy with a braid, wearing black? Or a blonde boy with a legband?"  
  
"Nope." The man scratched his beard curiously. "The city, eh? The capital? That explains it."  
  
"Are you absolutely positive? Not even a small white dragon?" Heero was becoming even more annoyed by the moment. Yes, he was definitely going to give them hell when he found them...  
  
"No dragons, definitely no dragons." The man rolled his eyes up towards the dark shapes visible over the treeline. "They all live up on the mountains. Really snooty, I hear. You want to do business with 'em, you hav'ta go to them. Say, you interested in some strawberries?"  
  
***  
  
Beneath the strawberry cart, Duo and Quatre watched the prince walk away. They let out a sigh of relief. Letting his head fall to the grass, Quatre could see Heero wandering away to talk to another trader.   
  
"Now how are we going to get to the mountains?" Duo moaned. "The foothills are wide open... He'll catch us for sure!"  
  
Quatre was only half listening. In the distance, he could see something large rising above the trees. Dust and leaves danced in a frenzy around it, and the trees were shaking. He recognized what he was seeing. Bright sunlight reflected off the metallic blue surface of the small oval-shaped hovercraft as it turned in midair. He turned and looked at Duo with an excited smile.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" Duo grumbled at him in confusion.  
  
"I-I think I have an idea. Let's go find Wufei."  
  
***  
  
An hour later, two boys and one dragon were lurking at the edge of the town's small hoverport. They remained hidden in the treeline, watching men loading crates into a nearby hovercraft.   
  
"This is risky," Wufei warned. "Even if we manage to board one without anyone noticing, we have no idea where these craft are headed."  
  
Crouched beneath a fern, lines of dark shadow etched across his bright features, Quatre narrowed his eyes at the crates being loaded. "Those crates... They're labeled 'Skysteppe.' Isn't that the name of the Draca capital city?"  
  
"Huh?" Duo squinted. "I can't see that far."  
  
"You're right," Wufei blinked. "So..."  
  
"So Skysteppe is in the mountains, which means..." Quatre's voice trailed, looking at Duo with an expectant smile.  
  
"Which means, if we can get on, this thing'll take us to the top!" Duo exclaimed, catching on. "Heero can't catch us if we're in the air!"  
  
Quatre nodded happily. "We just have to wait for an opportunity."   
  
When at last the hovercraft was fully loaded, only a crew of two were left attending it. For several moments, the boys were tense, worried that the craft would be sealed. Then the crew disappeared around the front, leaving the cargo bay wide open.  
  
"Now!" Duo squealed.  
  
Trying to stay low to the ground, the three darted towards the open hovercraft. The cat-like Wufei loped inside and slipped beneath the tarps that held the crates tied down. Quatre and Duo fell over each other getting on board. Quickly pulling each other up, they squeezed into hiding with Wufei. They held their breath until they were sure that no one had seen them. Then the boys shared a shushed, gleeful giggle. They'd made it!  
  
Wufei just squirmed, his wings squashed in the tight space. As their surroundings began to rumble, the cargo bay closed, sealing them in darkness. They settled in for the long journey ahead.  
  
***  
  
A pinpoint of light.  
  
Oh, it was beautiful. It flickered in the darkness like a star, an intense emerald star. Then as if reaching out, two razor-thin streaks went out from it, creating a horizon of green that extended to eternity.  
  
The glow... It pulsed through him, and in him. It was him... And he was suddenly very afraid. Then he heard the high, cold laughter.   
  
"You're afraid? Now that's rich."  
  
There was no one. He himself had spoken.  
  
"Don't get any ideas. You aren't real. You died a very, very long time ago. No more delusions. No more idealism. That didn't work out. You can't fix what you've done, you can't make it better. The suffering has to end. It has to! I won't go back!"  
  
The light became more intense at his screaming, throbbing dangerously.  
  
"Child. Searcher. Destroyer. The shell is wearing. The shell will crack. You will feel the pain again, and you will know what must be done! I have no right to be afraid! This is my fault, my crime! I will finish it! I will end it!"  
  
With that, the green light flooded, overtaking his entire vision. Choking with indescrible despair, he passed out.  
  
***  
  
"Ow! Hey, Quat! Wake up!"  
  
Breathing hard, Quatre's eyes snapped open to see the shadowy form of Duo looming over him. His round amethyst eyes were shining through the darkness with concern. Next to him, Wufei was also looking down at him with an odd wary expression.  
  
Quatre rubbed his chest gingerly. Why was his heart beating so fast? He mumbled sleepily. "Huh? We there yet?"   
  
"Man," Duo laughed, his face softening with relief, "what kind of nightmare were you having?"  
  
"Nightmare?" Quatre blinked. "I don't remember." He never remembered his dreams. Or his nightmares, apparently. "What was I doing?"  
  
"You were makin' noises and talkin' in your sleep. Couldn't understand a word of it, so I woke you up." Duo rubbed his arm, wincing. "Hit me pretty hard when I tried shaking you awake."  
  
"Sorry."   
  
"Yeah, yeah." Duo waved it off. "Anyway, I think we landed a few minutes ago, but nothing's happened yet. We can't get out until they open this thing."  
  
"If it doesn't happen soon, I'll rip my own way out," Wufei growled. "My wings are numb from being sat on. I can't take this much longer."  
  
"Yeah, my butt is asleep too," Duo moaned.  
  
Not a moment too soon, as far as Quatre was concerned, the craft started creaking as the cargo bay door opened, and the darkness was washed away with a misty light. They had arrived. They were free!  
  
"Run for it!" Wufei hissed.  
  
The man standing at the mouth of the open hatch jumped in surprise as the two boys and the dragon went charging past him. Quatre heard him shout after them, the cry echoing off the stone walls of the vast Draca lair. Escaping into a dark tunnel, they lost themselves in twists and turns, making sure they had evaded anyone who might have tried coming after them. When they came into a wide-open area, Quatre ducked behind an outcropping of rock, and his two friends fell in after him.  
  
"You'll have to follow me now," Wufei stretched his wings. "There are many dangerous drops within the city. Without wings, you could easily fall to your deaths."  
  
"Sounds fun!" Duo grinned. "Don'tcha think, Quatre?"   
  
The sound of leather slapping at the air had turned Quatre's eyes upwards. Around them, was nothing but dim rock. Above them, however, the rock walls were studded with shimmering white crystal, illuminating the mountain interior with a bright, soft white light. For as far away as he could see, and as far up as he could see, there were caverns upon caverns, upon caverns. Dragons, both small and immense, swooped and glided across each other, crisscrossing through caverns, to different places within the city, or possibly to the open sky outside. Some dragons sat in front of caverns that were clearly their homes, watching the traffic go by.   
  
"Whoa. They don't fall often, do they?" Duo laughed uneasily, watching one of the larger dragons glide across and perch above a cavern opening, the creature's weight crunching the stone beneath his claws.  
  
"Sometimes." Wufei crept out into the open. "I don't think we were followed. Just do as I say, and you'll be fine."  
  
Wufei led them across the dark city floor, into a darker tunnel. They were traveling deeper into the mountain, away from the active center of Skysteppe. Even in the empty dark, Quatre could still feel a humming, as if the mountain were alive. It unnerved him.   
  
At least Duo's constant chatter was distracting.   
  
"He cheated! Heero knew he could hold his breath for over an hour, and didn't tell me! He knew I would lose the bet, he schemed the whole thing, that royal bastard!" Duo sighed. "That's why my best buddy here has short hair." He gestured towards Quatre. "We used to be like twins, day and night, but he cut off his ponytail so I wouldn't have to chop my braid off. Heero had to accept a gesture like that!"  
  
Quatre gave a small smile. Duo had been so heartbroken when Heero had demanded he cut his hair short. The prince had been looking for revenge for a prank, involving Relena and a bed full of Teenytoads. The princess absolutely hated the orange-warted amphibians. Although the prank had been Duo's doing, it had been at Quatre's suggestion, and he had felt guilty that Heero had decided to punish Duo alone. So he had given up his own hair, his tie of brotherhood to Duo.   
  
They had mourned for a while. Then, as they always did, they forgot about it, and got themselves into more trouble. Instead of breaking their bond, the loss of Quatre's hair had only strengthened it.   
  
"Duo, do you think Heero could follow us this far?" Quatre asked.  
  
"No way! We are so homefree! He's probably still runnin' around Maycer terrorizing strawberry farmers. He is gonna be so pissed off!" Duo cackled gleefully.  
  
Quatre smiled, his eyes pained with the imaginings of what the GESS prince might have in store for them when he inevitably caught up with them. "Yes, he will. I suggest we take our time going home once this is all over with."  
  
Ahead of them, Wufei crawled up a steep, but thankfully short pile of rocks. "Duo, don't your parents disapprove of your behavior? The way you treat your sovereigns is very disrespectful."  
  
"Aw, lighten up, Wufei." Duo clambered up after him, causing several small stones to pepper down onto Quatre's head. "Heero and Relena are cool with it. And my Mom just says I take after my Dad, and doesn't bother me much."  
  
"Your father is disrespectful too?" Wufei snorted.  
  
"Nope, Dad's dead."  
  
"Oh... My apologies. My own parents were killed during the war."  
  
"Uh," Duo rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, my Dad died in a freak accident... A tree fell on him. But hey, it was a long time ago, y'know?" Duo grinned.  
  
"Uff!" Behind them, Quatre hauled himself up into the next tunnel. His sandals slipped on loose stones a few times before he pulled himself up beside them.   
  
"What about you, Quatre?" Wufei asked. "Your guardian Rashid, clearly does not approve of your friends."  
  
"Hey, Rashid approves of me just fine!" Duo huffed.  
  
"Rashid usually isn't as strict as you saw him," Quatre paused and sat down in the small tunnel. "Let me sit down for a while, I'm a little tired." He pried open his pack and fished out an apple.  
  
"Yeah, food break," Duo agreed, digging into the pack as well.  
  
With a small sigh, Wufei sat as well, waiting for Duo to hand over the backpack. He flicked his tail impatiently.  
  
"Mmm," Quatre continued, his mouth full, "Mmhmm, Rashid was really acting weird the day we left. For some reason, I don't think he likes dragons very much. Kinda like Heero."  
  
"Nah, Heero can't help it," Duo cut in. "He's a GESS, and it's in their blood to hate dragons. Y'know, that whole thing with the Wizards originally creating them to fight dragons." He shook his head. "I think maybe Rashid just has a phobia or somethin'."  
  
"Rashid isn't scared!" Quatre took a hard crunch out of his apple. He chewed for a moment, then spoke again. "I don't know what his problem is, but really, Wufei, he's usually very easy going. He was a friend of my mother's, and she left me with him after I was born, so she could keep fighting in the war. Then she and my father died, and Rashid's been taking care of me ever since."  
  
"So he's not a relation of yours," Wufei noted. "He must be quite a loyal friend."  
  
Quatre nodded, chewing thoughtfully.   
  
After eating, they became tired. Guessing that it must have become night, they decided to sleep where they sat. As they typically did, Quatre and Duo curled up together to share in each others body warmth. Wufei chose to sleep apart from them under the cover of his wings.  
  
***  
  
"Let me get this straight," Heero growled. "Two boys, a brunette and a blonde, and one small white dragon, stowed away in the back of your cargoship, and escaped into Skysteppe!?"  
  
The poor man being interrogated, a humble skytrader, was scared out of his wits. With angry, steely blue eyes boring into him, he now understood everything his father had ever told him about the GESS being a people to be respected. Especially if you wanted to keep all of your body parts intact. He didn't like the way the prince's gloved fists kept clenching. There was enough power in those hands to easily punch through solid steel.  
  
"I-I saw them, sir, your highness, s-s-sir." The skytrader stammered. "Two days ago. I-Is this serious?"  
  
"It will be once I finally catch up with them." Heero turned and stalked away. He pulled a small handheld device out of his jacket, and with a click, held it up to his ear. "Princess, are you there?"  
  
"I'm here, Heero." Relena's voice answered. "Have you found them?"  
  
"No, but I've picked up their trail again." He continued walking, leaving the hoverport. "A skytrader says he saw them get off his ship in Skysteppe. And that was two days ago."  
  
"Heero!" Relena gasped. "They could be on the other side of the mountain range by now!"  
  
"I know," Heero sighed. "I'm heading over there. But I'm probably going to need assistance, so inform Queen Silva what's going on."  
  
"I will. And I'm coming after you."  
  
"Relena..."  
  
"Don't Relena me. The White Woods are extremely dangerous. Stay in touch, I'll catch up with you as soon as I can."  
  
"Affirmative." Heero clicked out.  
  



	5. Chapter 4

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Oy, this chapter got longer than heck, but this time it just couldn't be helped. -_-; As usual, check Chapter 1 for the insanely long list of warnings and pairings info. None of which really apply here. Wheeheee, I believe the real weirdness starts in this chapter. Again, I can just try to assure you that everything is under control, keep all seats in an upright position... Unless you're Trowa and Quatre, you guys can do whatcha want. ^~ Oh, and watch out for random falling Mobile Suit Gundam references. ^_^;  
  
Anyone who's *still* reading this far, once again you have my thanks!!  
  
***  
  
In searching for substance  
We're clouded by struggle's haze  
Remember the meaning  
Of playing out in the rain  
  
We swim in the fountain  
Of youth's timeless maze  
If you drink the water  
Your youth will never fade  
  
Never die  
  
I won't let go of that youthful soul  
Despite body and mind my youth will never die  
  
~from "Never Die" by Creed  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
  
Setting her golden circlet on her bedside table, Relena turned and stared at the backwall of her chamber. With a spoken command, the solid color washed away to reveal a clear view of the cloud-dotted grey sky, and the forest beyond. The only indication of the great city surrounding the palace being the occasional building peering through the towering trees. Just below, she could see tiny figures running around.  
  
The Junior Guard, goofing off again. Often Duo and Quatre would be down there with them, but not today. Not for many, many days. But as much as she was worried about what dangers the boys might be headed into, the situation had unintentionally become a small blessing.  
  
The search for the wayward boys had taken Heero away from the city, and the prince's absence had brought the Draca's discussions concerning the Omega Prophecy to a standstill. She still didn't know how she should handle the problem. The Draca Queen was asking permission to execute one of Relena's subjects, if they could find him. Silva spoke as if she didn't know exactly who she was looking for, but would know when she found him. Something about a mark.  
  
Yet Relena suspected that the Queen was not being entirely forthcoming about everything. News had been coming to her that dragons had been flying about the valley, asking questions. Looking for someone.  
  
If Queen Silva really was ready to act regardless of Relena's wishes, then she would need Heero by her side. She respected the Draca's beliefs, but she would not allow them to kill whomever they pleased, simply because they believed the sky would fall otherwise. This was her kingdom, her people, and she would protect them.  
  
It had been an hour since Relena had told the Draca Queen of Heero's most recent news concerning the runaway boys. By now, Silva should have gathered her entourage to the skyport above the palace. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she took one last look back, and turned to leave.  
  
***  
  
Above the palace, the sleek, white royal hoverjet had been prepared for Relena. It was just larger than the dragons, who were stretching and folding their bat-like wings impatiently. Relena, wearing a heavy burgundy jacket lined with black fur that rustled in the biting cold wind, ran to meet them. The two guards that had followed her, had to catch up. They were only a formality. She didn't need them.  
  
"Shall we depart now, princess?" Silva spread her enormous wings, which shook violently in the autumn winds. "There is a storm approaching. If we do not leave soon, we shall be caught up in it."  
  
"Yes." Relena nodded.  
  
"Your highness!" Behind them, escorted by more guards, and even a few members of the Junior Guard, was Rashid. "Are you going after Quatre?"  
  
Surprised, Relena turned around. Rashid had been missing for the last few days, presumably out searching for Quatre himself. She realized he must not have been very far if he had seen the dragons gathering and the hoverjet prepared for flight. "Yes, the boys were seen in Skysteppe. We're going now to retrieve them. I assure you I will do all I can to bring Quatre home safely."  
  
"Thank you, princess." Rashid bowed. "But I would ask that you take me with you." He turned his eyes up towards Queen Silva. "Please forgive me, but as I trust you, I do not trust your company."  
  
"So it is you." Eyes widening, Silva turned to face him. "If you are Rashid, then am I correct in assuming that one of those with my grandson is... This Quatre? The same child from years ago?"   
  
"Do you know each other?" Relena looked from one to the other.  
  
"We have met," Rashid rumbled. "And yes, Quatre is the child you remember," he told Silva. "I know what you came down here to do. I may have failed in watching over Quatre, but I will keep an eye on you. I will not let you harm him."  
  
"Do not interfere with that which you do not understand." Silva said coldly. "My own soft heart has shown more mercy than was wise. Not only have I respected the woman's dying wishes, but I have also allowed too many years to pass. Now you must stand aside and allow me to do what must be done."  
  
"He's only a boy!" Rashid barked. "A normal, loving, human boy! The princess here is one of his friends, as is the young Prince Heero. Your majesty, you will be a murderer if you do this!"  
  
"Had this been done fourteen years ago, it would have been far less painful." There was now a touch of sympathy in her voice. "I can only assure you that he is no mere boy. The signs do not lie."  
  
"Excuse me," Relena finally intervened, "but, are you trying to tell me you believe Quatre is the Omega?" She stared up at the Draca queen in sheer disbelief.   
  
The queen briefly closed her eyes, then turned her blue gaze on Relena. "I had hoped to have your understanding before facing the harsh reality of the task. Yes, the boy Quatre is the Omega. I am sorry if he is your friend, but you must see it is no mistake. There is a power at work here, an evil power beyond any of our comprehension. Just as it worked to save the boy at his birth, now it has found a possible protector in yourself. Please, my princess, you must swallow your heart, or this monster will use it against you! This may very well be our last chance."  
  
Relena was momentarily speechless. Was Silva insane? She hardened her features. She would not get angry. She would handle this. Surely, once the queen met Quatre herself, she would see that she was wrong. "I'm afraid, I do not agree with you, your majesty," she finally spoke. "But we can discuss it once we've retrieved the boys." She turned towards the man waiting behind them. "Rashid, you may accompany us."  
  
"Thank you, your highness." Rashid bowed again.  
  
"As you wish, princess." Silva turned away and with a great flap of her wings, took to the sky. Instantly, her entourage leapt into the air as well.  
  
Relena surprised Rashid by grabbing his sleeve and practically dragging him towards the hovercraft. "Hurry! They must not reach Heero and the boys first!" She hadn't liked the dark look in the Draca Queen's eyes.  
  
***  
  
"Wufei, just admit it. You're lost."   
  
"I am not lost," Wufei growled. "You are slow."  
  
"How long have we been down here anyway?" Duo continued to moan. "I think I've forgotten what the sky looks like!"  
  
Quatre shrugged the pack on his shoulders. He had worn it since Maycer, to make sure Duo didn't eat them into starvation, but he could feel it becoming lighter and lighter. "I'm not sure. But we'll be in trouble if we don't find a way out soon."  
  
"I know where I'm going!" Wufei said in exasperation. "We wouldn't have had to take the long way if you two had wings!"  
  
"Well, the Wizards didn't give me wings," Duo sighed. "Just very sore feet." He glanced up at the darkness. "Y'know, I've been thinkin'."  
  
Quatre and Wufei snickered.  
  
"Oh, shut up. Really, this must have been what it was like for our ancestors in the ancient days. Back when everyone lived underground. Before there were any kingdoms or anything. Kinda spooky if you think about it."  
  
"My ancestors didn't live underground." Wufei said indignantly. "We've always lived high in the air."  
  
"No," Quatre said quietly. "If we're going according to the legends, then we were all the same in the beginning. Isn't that what they say? Then the dragons couldn't have been able to fly then."   
  
"Yeah," Duo laughed triumphantly. "Dragons were in the ground like everyone else, until they were changed because of the Wizards' little whims."  
  
"Maybe," Wufei shrugged. "Either way, we Draca were here a long time before any of you decided to dig yourselves out of the earth."  
  
"Why was anyone in the earth to begin with?" Quatre asked, frowning. "It doesn't really make sense. We're obviously meant to live in the open air. It's too dark for us to see down here." He crossed his flashlight in Duo's face to make his point.  
  
"Oh c'mon Quat," Duo flinched away from the bright light. "Everyone knows the Wizards made us out of the ground 'cuz everything comes out of the ground. Like trees, mountains, and dirt. And people served and worshipped 'em until they got tired of being slaves. The dragons turned against them, and then the Wizards made the GESS to get rid of the dragons. But then the GESS turned against them too, and everyone else with them. Then all the free kingdoms and wars started, and here we are, wandering through a mountain."  
  
Quatre just kept frowning, shaking his head. Something like an itch was gnawing at his mind. "But Duo, if the Wizards made us, then who made the Wizards?"  
  
Duo blinked. "Oh, that one guy... Geez, Quat, you remember don't you, whatshisname in that huge text book we just got this year. Haven't you read it yet? The first wizard... Cher? Char?"  
  
"Char, the demon Wizard," Wufei growled. "I too, have heard of him. An unholy creature in the shape of a man."  
  
With a snort, Quatre turned his head. He didn't like talking about this. Something about it made him uncomfortable. "Of course there's some truth in the legends. But I agree with Princess Relena, that it's regrettable that most of our history has been lost in a lot of ridiculous legends and myths. Clearly the Wizards were responsible in the shaping of the world, but it's silly to think they were any sort of gods or demons. If they were so powerful, why were they overthrown and blown to bits?" He sighed and raked his hands back through his hair. "In a way, it's too bad the Wizards are all gone. I would've liked to ask one for some real answers about where we came from and why everything is the way it is..."  
  
"I'm beginning to wish I had kept my mouth shut," Duo chuckled. "You get so serious sometimes, Quat."  
  
Wufei smirked. "You keep your mouth shut? That's a first."  
  
"Hey, do you hear something?" Quatre interrupted before Duo could take a shot at the Draca prince.   
  
"Not a thing," Duo sighed, rubbing at his eyes.   
  
"I do," Wufei lifted his head. "Sounds like water."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Running down the rocky path, Quatre stopped at the entrance to a big open cavern. His eyes widened. Shimmering threads of water were coming from the rocks and the ceiling far above. Cool liquid poured down in streamers, like mystic rain.  
  
Stepping carefully into the slippery cavern among the puddles, Quatre lifted his dusty face and let the water streak down his hair and body, cleaning the grime away. It felt wonderful.  
  
"Wow, what is this place?" Duo reached out to one of the threads, letting the sparkling liquid spatter into his cupped hand. He tasted it tentatively. "Hey, it's fresh!"  
  
"We're under one of the springs that supplies the city with water." Wufei spread one wing like an umbrella over his head. "This means we're almost out."  
  
Deeper within the cavern they found a wide pool, its surface jumping wildly as water poured into it. Without hesitation, Duo took a running leap, creating a splash that surged up, a white flash that humbled all other splashes in the pool. His laughter echoed loudly around them.  
  
"Duo!" Wufei shouted. "Those springs are treacherous! You shouldn't be swimming in them!"  
  
"It's perfectly fine!" Duo bobbed on the surface, his caramel-brown hair plastered to his face. "C'mon in!"  
  
"No! You need to get out of there!" Wufei sputtered as he gestured his wing a little too much, and a streamer of water hit his face.  
  
It was too tempting for Quatre to resist. Letting the pack slip to the ground, he jumped in after his friend. Dark green water swirled and bubbled loudly around him as he sunk. With a kick, he pushed back to the surface, to the racket of crackling water, and completely blinded with his blonde hair stuck to his face.  
  
Slicking the offending bangs up away from his forehead, he found himself looking into Duo's dripping and grinning face. The boy's braid was moving around in the water like a thick brown snake. Quatre smiled back, then they looked in unison through the dancing waters.  
  
Wufei was sulking.  
  
"Come on Wufei, you might as well!" Quatre shouted with a laugh.  
  
With a snort, the young dragon dropped his slender head with a look of defeat. Then his wings folded, his haunches bundled together, and he took the plunge. Duo and Quatre shrieked and flinched away as Wufei created a small tidal wave, drenching them further as it rolled over their heads.  
  
When the three boys finally emerged again, they were all laughing.  
  
For a long time, they splashed and swam, and as they played, they forgot about their hurry to get out of the mountain. Until finally, avoiding yet another slap of water sent his way by Wufei's wings, Duo decided they should think about moving on before they lost too much time.  
  
"Aw, Duo, I'm comfortable now," Quatre complained, floating away through the water. "You want to go so soon, you'll have to drag me out."  
  
"If you insist," Duo laughed, swimming after his drifting friend.  
  
Seeing Duo coming for him, Quatre began kicking back, further into the pool to get away. "Ack! Go away!" Giggling maniacally, he kicked water at Duo trying to get him to back off.  
  
But Duo was still chasing him with an evil grin.   
  
"H-Hey! Don't go that far out!" Wufei shouted. "I really mean it!"  
  
And that's the last thing Quatre heard before something pulled at him so hard, it sucked him beneath the water. A strong undertow had him, and he was speeding through miles of water, terrified and out of control. He couldn't fight it, and he couldn't breathe.   
  
Just when he was sure he would die, he was surprised to feel something grasp his hand tightly. He couldn't open his eyes in the rushing water, but he knew it was Duo. He had come after him.  
  
As they went careening through what felt like endless tunnels of water, Quatre realized he could keep holding his breath. He had just been scared. But could Duo make it? He felt his friend's pulse weakening through their grip. When would this end!?  
  
As if in answer, suddenly the water ride did come to an end. Quatre gasped loudly as they were abruptly thrust out into open air in a thundering, explosive spray. Propelled by water, they went skidding out across flat slippery rock, sliding this way and that until they finally went swerving to a stop.   
  
With a wet, hacking cough, Quatre lifted himself on wobbly arms. Blinking away the heavy droplets of water from his eyelashes, he found he had been borne from one dark world into another. Black and bright, the night sky was filled with millions upon millions of twinkling stars, like a vial of glitter strewn out across black velvet. Among them was their pale ruler, the moon, bigger and brighter than Quatre could ever remember seeing it before, glaring down at him like an enormous round eye. An involuntary violent shiver suddenly ran down his spine.   
  
Tearing his eyes away from the sky, he looked down to find that he was on a rocky mountain ledge, just a long drop away from an almost luminescent forest that seemed carved out of opal. His mouth dropped open. Was this the White Woods at last? The haunted forest?  
  
"Duo!" Finding his voice, he turned excitedly to his friend. But Duo still lay motionless in a soggy mess. Quatre's excitement turned to cold fear as he realised that Duo wasn't breathing. He shook him by the arms. "Duo!"  
  
The braided boy didn't respond. His head simply lolled to the side. Panic threatened to turn Quatre into a blubbering idiot, but he forced himself to calm down. Duo needed him rational now, when every second counted. He tried to remember everything he knew about medical aid.   
  
His mind was blank. Calm down, calm down! "Don't die, Duo," he whimpered, shaking his head in frustration. Think!  
  
By Bright, why couldn't he remember a thing!? He'd spent over a month learning emergency medical aid at special classes at the Center Hospital Complex. Now all he could remember was being silly with Duo while they were practicing mouth to mouth resuscitation on each other. During which he'd learned the perfect way to annoy his friend...  
  
"That's it!"  
  
Gently, he tilted Duo's head back, holding his jaw open with one hand and held his nose shut with the other. Quatre took a deep breath and leaned down to seal his mouth tightly to Duo's cold lips. His eyes squeezed shut, Quatre exhaled hard into Duo's lungs. Then he turned away and opened his eyes again, darting them nervously towards the still unmoving chest. So he did it again.  
  
Several times, praying desperately for him to breathe. Until finally, with a shallow, wheezing breath, Duo began to cough violently. Quatre wanted to hug him tightly and cry, but instead he helped him sit up as he expelled the fluid from his lungs. Holding on as if afraid Duo might try to die on him again, he rubbed his back until the other boy's breathing slowly fell back into a normal rhythm.  
  
"Eh," Duo finally croaked. "We still alive?"  
  
"Barely."  
  
"Thought I saw somethin' from the other side comin' for me," Duo chuckled weakly. "Guess it was just you."  
  
"Heh. You're welcome." Quatre smiled. "Do you see it, Duo?"  
  
"Yeah." At this, Duo worked to raise himself on shaky legs with Quatre's help. His round violet eyes were shining with wonder and triumph. "It's the White Woods. We made it, Quat!"  
  
"What about Wufei?" Remembering their dragon friend, Quatre turned to look at the place where the spring waters were rushing out of the cavern. The spring flowed out over the rocks to create a small waterfall that cascaded all the way down the side of the mountain.  
  
"I guess he must think we're dead," Duo looked back as well. "It's a shame, but we can't go back the way we came. Looks like we'll have to continue by ourselves from here on out."  
  
With a sigh, Quatre stepped up to the cliff edge. "Yeah, I suppose there's nothing we can do about it. I hope he doesn't worry too much."  
  
"Ah, Wufei's probably glad to be rid of us," Duo laughed softly. "And it's not like he hasn't seen any of this before. We'll find him later on our way back and let him know we were fine without him." Duo winked.  
  
Quatre turned and eyed the deceivingly solemn forest before them. "Actually... maybe we should start looking for a way back now, so we can get back as soon as possible. There's no need to go any further."  
  
"What!?" Duo squawked. "But we just got here!"  
  
"Duo, we don't have any supplies. I lost them back there. And what about the monsters? Aren't there supposed to be monsters down there?"  
  
"Wufei said he never saw any monsters." Duo brushed it off with a motion of his hand. "And it's not like we haven't scavenged before."  
  
Quatre still felt uneasy. This wasn't working out anymore. And now that they were actually there looking at the supposedly haunted forest, there was a bad feeling gnawing at his stomach. "Duo, I think we're in over our heads. And look, there's no way we can climb down the rest of the way. It's a sheer drop down!" He leaned over the edge, his eyes wide.  
  
"We'll find a way." Duo said stubbornly.   
  
At that moment, Quatre felt the rock beneath his feet moving. There was no time to react, the ledge beneath him was collasping under his weight. Why does this keep happening to me, he thought before fear and adrenaline sent every thought scattering with a scream. Rock crumbled and dust flew around him as he fell.  
  
"Quatre!"  
  
As he fell, his wrist was roughly seized. The weight of his body nearly wrenched his arm from his shoulder, and the pain was awful. He cried out, suspended and swaying in the cold air. His eyes, blurring with stinging dust and terror, stared up over the arms straining to hold on to him.  
  
It was Duo again.  
  
Never before had he seen the raw fear he saw in Duo's eyes. He turned away, and saw the rocks he had just been standing on, still falling towards the far away forest below. His stomach turning violently, he turned back towards Duo, who was in danger of sliding over the side of the cliff himself, but refusing to let go.  
  
"Give me your other hand!"   
  
Quatre tried. But as he shifted his weight, he could see how close Duo was to falling over after him. "I can't!" He tried kicking for a foothold, but the rockface was too far for his legs to reach.  
  
"Give me your other hand!" Duo gritted his teeth.   
  
"You'll fall!"  
  
"You want to die?" Duo snapped. "Just do what I tell you!"  
  
"We'll both die!" Quatre cried. He was so scared. He didn't want Duo to let go, he didn't want to die. But he didn't want Duo to die because of him. He stared up into violet eyes, exhaustion and pain burning into him as his heart hammered crazily in his chest.  
  
Duo's brows furrowed and his mouth set in a tight line. "I'm not letting go." He growled. "So don't even think it."  
  
But Duo was losing his grip. Slowly, Quatre slipped further away. His fear taking control, Quatre swung his other hand up and grabbed desperately at Duo's wrist. Duo yelled in shock as he was nearly yanked over the side, digging the toes of his sandals into the rock for all he was worth. Quatre cried out.  
  
Duo was breathing hard through his braid, which was swaying across his face in the wind. His face had broken out in a cold sweat, which was trickling onto Quatre. He cursed something Quatre couldn't hear, while trying to pull them both back up without losing what little grip he had.  
  
It wasn't working. Duo had been weak from nearly drowning to begin with, and Quatre knew he couldn't do it. And apparently, Duo knew it too. A terrible smile suddenly spread across Duo's face.   
  
"Well, at least it hasn't been boring, has it?"  
  
"Duo!"  
  
"I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for you, and you sure as hell aren't going anywhere without me. Friends to the end, remember?"  
  
"Let me go!" Quatre shrieked. To hear Duo talk like that was more than he could bear. He began to pull at Duo's hand on his wrist.  
  
Duo had always been stronger than him, and he couldn't break the other boy's grip. The wind stopped. With what looked like a grimace of pain and sorrowful apology, Duo lost whatever hold he'd had on the ledge.  
  
Quatre fell, pulling Duo swiftly after him. It was almost peaceful, compared to the tension of holding on a moment before. He could hear the wind again, roaring in his ears. It billowed around him in a cold embrace. His eyes closed, he braced himself.  
  
The impact knocked the wind out of him. And the next thing he knew, he could feel himself floating. Was that it? Was he dead? Well, that hadn't been so bad. Except he was still sore. And he couldn't move. And he was squashed against something really hard and silky. Confused, Quatre blinked his eyes open.  
  
"You idiots... I warned you... But noooooo...."  
  
"Wufei!? Man, let me go so I can kiss you!"   
  
"Duo? Wufei?" Quatre looked from the unbelievable sight of the forest moving swiftly beneath him, to Wufei, who had each of them under one arm. His wide blue wings flapped noisily above them. The dragon was as soaked with water as they were.  
  
"Don't you dare!" Wufei looked agast at Duo.  
  
Quatre smiled wide with relief. They weren't going to die after all. Much to Wufei's dismay, he let loose a scream of happiness, which was echoed by Duo. They finally stopped after Wufei bellowed that they were going to make him deaf.  
  
When they finally landed on the forest floor, Duo made good on his promise to kiss Wufei. The dragon made a big aggravated fuss about Duo's manners, and how it was rude to kiss royalty without permission. But Quatre didn't think the Draca Prince really minded. He looked too smug about having been right about the danger, and having saved them from certain doom.  
  
***  
  
The rest of their first night in the White Woods was chilly, but uneventful. Quatre didn't think any of them would be able to sleep with the threat of ghosts and monsters hanging over them, but after their ordeal, they were so exhausted that they fell asleep as soon as they found a sheltered place to rest. Although Duo and Quatre held onto each other tighter than usual that night.  
  
The next morning, they awoke to a creepy environment of white and grey vegetation. It was unnaturally quiet, no birds sang, and there was no sign of any animals. Only wind whistling eerily through the trees, and a fine grey ash that coated just about everything. The morning dew sparkled, giving everything the crystalline or opalesque appearance Quatre had noticed the night before.  
  
They spent most of the afternoon exploring the lifeless wood. Quatre could see how anyone might think it was haunted. Strangely deserted, it looked like only ghosts might live there. It was certainly spooky enough.   
  
Eventually they came across a gigantic walnut tree, as powder white as everything else in the forest, with great gnarled branches that reached out farther than any other tree around. Beneath the dark shade of the massive tree, they gathered up many large walnuts that resembled huge mutated pearls.  
  
With a small rock, Duo pounded away at the walnut in his hand. "I still can't believe you came after us Wufei, that was really somethin' else."  
  
"I almost didn't," Wufei snorted.  
  
"But you did." Duo blinked down as he managed to crack the walnut, but crushed the nut inside to pieces as well. "That means you're one of us now, you know."  
  
"An insane imbecile? Well, considering I'm sitting in a haunted forest with the two of you, I guess you're right." Wufei chuckled, and with just a slight squeese of his claws, popped open a walnut in two clean halves.  
  
Where are all the ghosts at, anyway?" Quatre glanced around, before setting back to trying to open another walnut. "We've been walking around all day making all kinds of noise, and we haven't seen a thing."  
  
"Quat, you know ghosts only come out at night." Duo grinned as he attempted to pick the crumbs of walnut out of his palm.  
  
"What about monsters? I was half hoping to see one." Quatre blinked in surprise as he accidently smashed his walnut to dust with one tap of his rock. Why did he keep choosing the bad ones? With a sigh, he picked up another walnut. "From far away, not up close, of course."  
  
"I think most of them have died out," Wufei said, popping another walnut in his mouth.  
  
"Actually, I'm kinda glad there's nothing here." Duo cracked open another walnut. "What do you guys think of hiking all the way east, and getting ourselves a look at the Ivory Desert?"  
  
Wufei nearly choked.  
  
"Well, why not?" Duo dusted the walnut shells from his hands. "We haven't come across any problems so far, why not go all the way?"  
  
"Nearly drowning and falling to our deaths wasn't a problem!?" Quatre stared at Duo with wide disbelieving eyes. Sure, he was feeling a little more at ease since they'd arrived, but he still didn't like that forest. He was hoping that Duo would want to go home now. They could have just as much fun hiding out in the familiar towns and forests of the valley. They'd surely have hell to pay from Heero and Rashid once caught, but it just going to happen sooner or later.  
  
"Well, sure, but we lived. The worst is obviously over. Quatre, this is a chance of a lifetime! To see the Ivory Desert!" He swung his arms out grandly. "The battlefield where epic wars were fought!"  
  
"I thought we came here to see the White Woods." Quatre sighed with pitiful look. "And there were no ghosts or monsters. I'll bet the Ivory Desert is nothing but a whole lotta bleached sand. It's been fun when we weren't near death, but Duo, can't we just go home now?"   
  
"Don't give me those eyes!" Duo scowled.  
  
With a sharp crack, Quatre finally managed to open a walnut without reducing it to dust. He looked away from Duo's indignant look, peeling the shell away from his lunch.  
  
"I don't know where your sense of adventure has gotten to these days Quat," Duo sighed with a disapproving shake of his head.  
  
"I think he's showing a lot of common sense," Wufei commented wryly.  
  
"Hmph. Traitor." Duo narrowed his eyes at the white dragon, who almost seemed to disappear in the perfect camoflage of their surroundings. "Just when I was going to suggest that you join our little brotherhood."  
  
Quatre looked up from what he was eating with a smile. "Oh! The oath!" He bounced a little on his toes. "Yeah, Wufei, you need to take the oath with us now!"  
  
"What... You want me to join some sort of cult?" Wufei eyed them nervously. "My grandmother warned me about this..."  
  
"Not a cult!" Duo groaned. "And what are you complaining about, I thought you dragons were already in your own cult. No, I'm talkin' about me an' Quatre's oath of brotherhood! This is a great honor you know... Not even Heero has been offered it, cuz he's still too stuffy."  
  
"What kind of oath is this exactly?" Wufei asked suspiciously, hunching his shoulders slightly. "I can not give my word lightly."   
  
"You have to promise," Quatre beamed. "You have to swear."  
  
"To be friends forever," Duo recited without missing a beat.  
  
"No matter what." Quatre finished. "That is our oath of brotherhood."  
  
"Is that all?" Wufei looked skeptical and unimpressed.  
  
"Hey, forever is a long time!" Duo exclaimed. "Isn't that enough? So, you wanna take the oath, or not?"  
  
"It's your choice," Quatre added, not wanting to pressure Wufei into it. He hoped he'd accept though. Not only was Wufei a good friend, but it'd be cool to have a dragon as a brother.  
  
"Hmm..." Wufei frowned slightly, tapping his tail a bit anxiously behind him. Then he seemed to throw off any reservations he might have had with a small shrug. "Oh, why not."  
  
"Yeah!" Duo whooped, while Quatre laughed. Forcing himself into a more serious expression, the braided boy lifted his right hand in the air, and put the other over his heart. "Okay guys, together now."  
  
The other two followed his example, Quatre with a big smile that reached his eyes, and Wufei looking embaressed. But there was a bit of a smirk on the dragon's face.  
  
"I promise," Duo started, allowing Quatre and Wufei to repeat after him. "I swear. To be friends forever. No matter what. That is our oath of brotherhood." When they finished saying this, Duo put out the hand that had been on his chest.   
  
Quatre pushed forward on his knees to put his hand over Duo's. Then they looked up at Wufei expectantly. "It's to seal it," Quatre explained.  
  
So Wufei put out his clawed hand and covered the hands of the other two boys with it. And was promptly shocked when Duo threw up his own hand, throwing the other two off with a laugh.  
  
"That's it! Now we're all brothers!" He winked at Wufei. "Friends to the end, in good an' bad. We live an' die together!"  
  
Wufei almost fell back onto his rear. He barely caught himself with his tail. "You make it sound as if we were just married. Wait, no, I don't think marriage is as condemning as what we just did."   
  
"Dying is the easy part," Quatre confided with a grin. "It's living with him that's hard. See, not too long ago I was safe at home, and now look where I'm at."  
  
"I haven't been with you two for that long, and but believe me, I know exactly what you mean." Wufei sighed, then smiled.   
  
"What a dull life you guys would have without me." Duo laughed. "The Ivory Desert will be cool, I just know it!"  
  
"Don't you mean it'll be hot?" Quatre teased.   
  
"Oh, hah, hah." Duo stuck his tongue out at him.   
  
"What have I gotten myself into?" Wufei inquired towards the pale sky.  
  
His only answer was the hollow whisper of the wind.  
  
***  
  
Nightfall was approaching. The sky above the ghostly treeline was a soft pink, which faded into a dark blue, where the first stars were sparkling to life. Wufei stretched his wings with a yawn. They would need to find a place to sleep soon.  
  
Next to him, Quatre suddenly squeaked, stumbling, then tumbling, down a small trench between two trees. The dragon paused as the small blonde boy finally stopped rolling, coming to a tangled halt among many vines and branches at the bottom of the forest floor.  
  
"He sure does that a lot," he glanced over a Duo, who had come running back at the sound of Quatre's latest spill.  
  
"Yeah, that's Q for you." Duo laughed with a touch of embarassment for Quatre's sake. "Hey, you okay down there?" He shouted down.  
  
"It's not my fault! Wufei pushed me!" Quatre shouted back, trying to pull himself loose from the messy vegetation.   
  
Suddenly Wufei remembered brushing against something with his wing as he had been stretching. He had thought it to be a tree branch or something like that. Oops. "My apologies!" Wufei called down. "Do you need help getting up?"  
  
"No, I'm alright." Quatre mumbled almost too low to hear. Being a dragon, Wufei had little trouble hearing it. However...  
  
"What!?" Duo yelled down.   
  
"Give me a minute!" Quatre yelled back. Then suddenly his eyes widened, so that the aquamarine blue of his eyes became very visible. He was looking down at something near his leg. "Oh sh-- Duo!"   
  
Duo seemed startled. "What's wrong?"  
  
"My legband's gone. Duo, help me find it!"  
  
"What?" Wufei blinked. "You mean that black thing he wears around his leg?" He glanced around.  
  
"Yeah... Just stay here, okay?" Duo motioned at him to keep where he was, as he started climbing down to where Quatre was. "It's kinda a personal thing. I'll help him look."  
  
So Wufei stayed put. Down below, Duo and Quatre scrabbled around in the dirt, leaves, and vines. Duo was very seriously searching under every root and rock he could reach, while close by, Quatre was holding his bare thigh in a very anxious way. It was a strange scene, but Wufei wouldn't pry. If it was personal, then it was probably none of his business.  
  
Finally, it became too dark to continue searching for Quatre's lost accessory. With a ripping sound, Duo tore the back hanging end of his black loincloth to make a clumsily tied, make-shift legband for Quatre. And at last, the two boys climbed back out of the ditch, dirtier than they had entered it.  
  
With the little crisis over, Duo and Quatre fell into their usual revelry, deciding to spend the night in a cozy meadow. The Draca prince didn't like the idea of sleeping someplace so exposed but the other boys insisted, saying that they enjoyed sleeping under the stars.  
  
As they settled in, Quatre suddenly began to squirm, and announced that he was off to relieve himself. "He sure is confident, going off by himself like that in the middle of the night," Wufei watched the blonde disappear through the trees.  
  
"Why shouldn't he be? Back home, he'd at least risk being attacked by a crazy squirrel or somethin'," Duo chuckled. "In comparison, this place is rather boring threatwise."  
  
"Maybe boring isn't a bad thing," Wufei stared thoughtfully at the milky grass beneath his claws. He didn't mean to ask, but as he mused, it just came out. "Duo, what was going on a few minutes ago?"  
  
Duo was silent for a moment. Then his lips smacked open, and he paused for another moment, as if he had changed his mind about what he was about to say. Then at last he spoke.  
  
"Dragons never break their word, isn't that right?" Duo turned his head to give Wufei a hard stare.  
  
"Never." Wufei replied, now more mystified than before. "It is better to die than to break a promise. That is our way."  
  
"Then you have to promise never to tell anybody what I tell you, got it? Quat's really sensitive about it. I'm not even supposed to know about it, but since I'm his best friend since forever, there's nothing about him that I don't know."  
  
"I see. You have my word. I will never reveal what you tell me." Wufei thought Duo was being overdramatic again. After the oath business, he doubted he there was any secret of Quatre's that could shock him.   
  
"Promise?" Duo warned.  
  
"I promise."   
  
"Okay then. Since you're our brother now, I guess it's okay to tell you." Duo rolled over and leaned in close. Despite the fact that there was no one around, he spoke in whispers. "His guardian Rashid tells him that if anyone asks, that black legband's there out of mourning for his parents. But the truth is, Quatre has the wildest birthmark. Well, he says it's a birthmark, but I think it's really a tattoo. Nothing natural looks like that. Rashid makes him keep it covered up so no one sees it."  
  
"A mark?" A troubled feeling came over him. From everything he knew, marks, especially unusual marks were almost never a good thing. "What does this mark look like?"  
  
"Well... It's blood red, looks like the head of some kind of animal. There's two white spots that look like eyes, and this bright green diamond in the middle of it..." Duo paused, as if disturbed by a memory. He shook it off and smiled at Wufei. "Like I said, really wild."  
  
Suddenly, Wufei felt his pulse racing like a scared rabbit. It sounded like... No, that was impossible. Absolutely insane. Not Quatre. Completely out of the question!  
  
"Wufei?" Duo frowned deeply. "What's the matter?"  
  
***  
  
Sticks and leaves crunched noisily beneath his sandals. He really shouldn't have wandered off. After going to the bathroom, he should have returned immediately to Duo and Wufei. But for some reason, he had started walking away into the forest.  
  
Something wanted him to follow. It was strange and weird, but he could feel it. So he walked until he came to a place where the trees had died away, and he was under the wide open sky. Quatre jolted to a stop.   
  
Only a few feet away, stood... Something. A something made of soft, fuzzy white light. He could barely distinguish the outline of a human figure. The thing slowly lifted an arm out towards him. Distinct fingers uncurled, quietly reaching towards him.  
  
An incredible warm rush suddenly passed through Quatre. He wasn't afraid. All he wanted was to be closer to this beautiful being. He wanted to have a better look. His feet, like heavy stone weights, carried him forward, step by step. It was calling to him with a song he could hear from deep within. It was so wonderful.  
  
Then, just when he was almost close enough to touch, there was a loud crashing through the trees behind the light. Quatre's eyes widened and his lips parted with surprise as the light person seemed to half-glance behind itself, then vanished, as if a violent wind had abruptly swept it away.  
  
Burning disappointment hung in the air.  
  
Across the clearing, where the black shadows of the treeline met the moonlight, stood a figure in a dark cloak. The silence of the wood was now filled with harsh breathing. Trembling, curling whisps of mist billowed from beneath the dark hood.   
  
Fear gripping him now, Quatre stepped back, and a sharp crack cut through the air as a stick broke beneath his foot. The cloaked figure went silent. Slowly, it lifted the black emptiness of its hood towards the boy. It was too dark too see what was beneath it, but Quatre could see a round, shimmering, indigo blue object, a clasp on the cloak.   
  
"You." The icy words were like an accusation. The voice was strange, as if transforming into a deeper pitch in mid-word.  
  
"Uh, hello?" Quatre whispered, trying not to look as scared as he felt.  
  
"So... So innocent. So pure. If only..." The cloaked man now seemed to be whispering to himself. "No, it's already much too late. How strange this feels..."   
  
"W-Who are you?" Quatre asked nervously. Whoever this was, he sounded like a madman. What was he doing here?  
  
"Who am I?" He laughed coldly. "You tell me. I've had more names than I can recall. The Draca call me Prophet. King Amuro called me friend." Almost gliding along the ground, he moved towards Quatre.  
  
"King Amuro?" Quatre recognized the name. "B-But he lived over a thousand years ago... He was the first Peacecraft monarch! There's no way you could have known him..." He staggered back as the stranger who called himself Prophet approached.  
  
"I am older than you can imagine." Cloak swirling about him like a cape as he came closer, his voice was subtly rising as he spoke, becoming harsh and bitter. "My true name is a curse I shall never speak, and the name of my heart is known only to one. That one who died long, long ago, before the birth of time. That shadow of light which laughs and cries, running through eternity, leading me, I know not where. You poor, poor wretched child, does that answer your question?" He stopped before the boy.  
  
Quatre could only gasp in reply as from beneath the dark cloak, a hand reached out, covered in a dusty, black glove. Prophet took the frightened boy's chin in hand, holding him firmly.  
  
"No, of course not," the wraith growled. Bending down, he peered at Quatre from under the black shadows of his hood. Shining, intense green eyes studied him. They were terrifying.   
  
What was this stranger? Something about him didn't feel human. Could he be a ghost? Or something even worse? Quatre wanted to run, wanted to scream, but he couldn't move.   
  
"Go ahead and take a good look." Prophet spoke, now with a deadly calm. "You will remember this as the day your world started falling apart. And you will hate me like nothing else."  
  
It was still too dark to see beneath that hood, darker than any darkness he had seen before. Even so, Quatre didn't want to look. He didn't want to see those glowing eyes anymore. So instead he stared at the beautiful clasp at the man's neck. Glittering, dark, dark blue crystal, it was fantastic. And now up close, he saw that there was a jagged white crack crawling down the middle of it, much like a bolt of lightning.   
  
An overwhelming sense of pity came over him. Why, he didn't know.  
  
"W-Why are you saying this?"  
  
"They're coming to kill you. And it's my fault. Everything is my fault." The man's voice softened, as a change seemed to come over him. He hesitated, stroking his thumb against the softness of Quatre's cheek. "It... It would be so easy..." His voice quavered. "I could kill you so easily... Snuff you out in an instant..." With a tired sigh, his hand fell away. He stood and stepped back, bowing his head.  
  
"No. It would do no good. I must not lose sight of my quest." His voice was no longer as deep, and he spoke softly. "You return to your friends. They're in danger." With that, he turned away.  
  
Mouth hanging open in numb shock, Quatre didn't react right away. Only after watching Prophet walk away into the trees from where he had first appeared, had the words fully sunken in. And somewhere not too far away, he could hear Duo screaming.  
  
"Danger!?"   
  
Almost slipping, he turned around and ran as fast as he could. As well as Duo's screaming, he could hear something that sounded like a wildcat, which must be Wufei. And the sound of something very big crashing around. Quatre's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw what looked like a tree go sailing through the air, followed by a loud thump.   
  
When Quatre finally broke through into the meadow where he'd left his friends, he almost fell over trying to stop as quickly as possible. His shriek was drowned out by horrendous metallic screeching, whirring, and crunching noises.  
  
  



	6. Chapter 5

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
  
Graffiti decorations  
Underneath a sky of dust  
A constant wave of tension  
On top of broken trust  
The lessons that you taught me  
I learned were never true  
  
Now I find myself in question  
They point the finger at me again  
Guilty by association  
You point the finger at me again  
  
Paper bags and angry voices  
Under a sky of dust  
Another wave of tension  
Has more than filled me up  
All my talk of taking action  
These words were never true  
  
I wanna run away  
Never say good-bye  
I wanna know the truth  
Instead of wondering why  
I wanna know the answers   
No more lies  
I wanna shut the door  
And open up my mind  
  
Gonna run away  
  
~"Runaway" by Linkin Park  
  
***  
  
Chapter 5  
  
  
Cold white ash sifted through his fingers. Crouched on an outstretched tree limb, the young prince Heero lifted his head of messy dark hair. Over his shoulder were two backpacks. One was small and black. The other was faded purple, tattered, and had been discovered deep inside a mountain. Without making a sound, he leapt from the seven-story tall tree, landing with gentle bounce on the forest floor.  
  
He'd recognized the backpack found inside the mountain as belonging to Duo. Coming across the pack, he had suspected the worst, since he could think of no reason why they would abandon their supplies. But when he came to the place where the mountain springs flowed to the surface, he was relieved to find no trace of the boys. It meant that somehow, they had survived, and were now somewhere out there, in the White Woods. The question was, what condition would they be in when he found them.  
  
With noiseless footsteps, Heero moved through the skeletal trees. He hated this forest. To him, the place was nothing but the world's largest burial ground. Only once before had he come there, and had never wanted to see it again. It was in that forest that he had finally come to the conclusion that he was truly alone in the world. His people reduced to colorless sand and ash.   
  
His body jerked back as hysterical screams pierced the silence. Moving instantly, he zeroed in on the source of the noise. Heero could hear the crackling of trees being crushed into splinters. Mechanical screeches steeled his blood for what he was about to face.  
  
Breaking into bright moonlight, his fears were confirmed. The packs he held fell from his shoulders onto the forest floor with duel thuds. Before him was what looked like a giant, steel-plated lizard, with wing-like extensions that curved high off its back. With a metallic hiss, it turned its arrowhead-shaped head towards him, round, almond-shaped green glowing eyes staring blankly. It was the deadliest mecha-monster still rumored to be roaming the White Woods. It was a Silverhead.   
  
Now as it turned towards him, he could see the unmistakable shape of Quatre, looking utterly terrified. Then in a lightning fast movement, the Silverhead whipped around, sending the boy flying with its huge armored tail. It then rushed towards Heero.  
  
"Quatre!" He yelled, barely jumping out of the way as the rampaging mecha pitched at where he had been standing, jabbing the two sharp fang-like spikes jutting out beneath its head into the soft ground with a thunk. It half-reared with a frustrated scream.  
  
"Heero!?" It was Duo.  
  
"Duo!" Heero didn't have time to search for the voice, as the Silverhead was charging him again. With a leap, he crashed down on the mecha's back. "I'm glad you're still alive!" His fingers squeezed and crunched the metal in his grip. Sparks went flying about him, and the Silverhead reacted violently by screaming and buckling, thrashing about. "Because I'm going to kill you!"  
  
"Well hello to you too!" Duo yelled back. "Wufei would be happy too, but he's been knocked cold. I can't see what happened to Quatre from up here..."  
  
Heero threw himself flat, narrowly missing being hit by something long and snakey that had roped out from between the Silverhead's fangs like a tongue. It flashed past him, the round and flattened end of the cord hitting a tree. Heero's eyes narrowed in dawning horror as the tree shriveled, the leaves falling all at once. As the mecha's sucker snapped away, the dead tree toppled over on its weakened roots. The sucker swiveled around, and Heero could see what looked like a small mouth circled by sharp hookish fangs. It swung back at him again.  
  
His heart pounding, Heero made a half-slide from the mecha's back at the last moment, avoiding the suckercord again. But this time he darted his hand back up, grabbing at the cord as it sped by. Yanking it back, he gasped as he suddenly found himself staring into the grotesque little mouth of teeth. In a flash, he ripped the cord apart, sending the sucker falling lifelessly to the ground.  
  
The scream of the Silverhead was deafening.  
  
"Shut up!" Heero shouted back, now ignoring the sputtering cord which now flailed at him in a useless panic. Anchoring himself with one hand and foot on the thrashing mecha's back, he grasped one of the wing-like objects firmly. Unlike the rest of the monster, the wings had a reflective surface that shimmered like an oilslick. Solarcells. Thank the Prophet, if the thing had been crystalpowered, it would be much more difficult to handle. With a cry, Heero ripped the metal wing away with a loud metallic screech.   
  
Next thing he knew, the long tail whipped up and coiled tightly around him, jerking him into the air. He struggled against the metal coils as they threatened to crush him. His feet kicked wildly while the precious breath was squeezed out of him. This was the worst position he could be in. Without the freedom to move his limbs, he couldn't break free. Heero bared his teeth in a snarl. There was no mistake the mecha knew in its small artificial mind what it was doing. It was designed to destroy GESS, after all.  
  
"Hey! Let him go!"   
  
Craning his head around, Heero was surprised to see Relena standing there, waving her arms at the monster. "Relena? What are you doing!? Move!"  
  
The warning came almost too late, as she barely jumped back before the Silverhead could lunge at her with its head spikes. Relena stared in shock at how close she had been. The monster's head was embedded in the ground right in front of her. So close the glow of its eyes illuminated her in a sickly light.   
  
"Relena don't--!" Heero's next yell was choked as Relena gritted her teeth and suddenly grabbed the mecha by the head, and proceeded to swing it against the treeline. The creature hit hard, sparks flying from the damage already inflicted. For a moment, Heero saw stars as he also hit, but the impact loosened the Silverhead's grip. Quickly, Heero pushed his arms out around the coils, and lifted himself out.   
  
Wasting no more time, he leapt down to the creature's back, and ripped out the other wing, which was already damaged from Relena's throw. The Silverhead screeched again. But now with its energy steadily seeping away, it thrashed with less vigor.   
  
Jumping to the ground, he kicked it hard in the head, caving in a huge dent, and shattering one of the eyes in a shower of emerald shards. The kick also sent the monster swerving away, so Heero ran towards Relena.  
  
"Princess, what were you thinking!?" He grabbed her arm and started pulling her away. "You could have been killed!"  
  
"Is that any way to thank me? You were the one in danger!" Relena shrugged him off and returned his glare. "I may only have a little GESS blood in my ancestry, but I can take care of myself, Heero!"  
  
"I don't care! You don't know what you're doing! If I hadn't already taken care of the suckercord, you wouldn't be talking right now!" He was fuming. How dare the princess endanger her life that way! He was trying to keep himself from shaking.  
  
"And if I hadn't done anything, you wouldn't be talking right now either." Relena bit back.  
  
Heero was trying to sputter a reply, when Duo started yelling again. They both turned away with wide eyes, to see the Silverhead ramming against a large tree across the meadow.  
  
"Hey! Remember me!? You guys!? I could use some help here! Wufei's gonna fall!" Duo yelped.  
  
At that moment, something even bigger than the Silverhead swooped out of the sky. The mecha sparked violently and screamed as it was crushed to the ground, big claws sinking into its metal plated skin. Its head swung up once, before falling heavily, the glow of its remaining eye fading into an empty blackness. Snarling, the Draca Queen stepped away from the wreck.  
  
She lifted her neck towards the tree where Heero could now see Duo huddling next to Wufei in the branches. It looked like the young Draca prince had been thrown there from the way he was awkwardly sprawled over a tree branch, and since Heero doubted Duo could have lifted him there very quickly. He seemed to be having a difficult time keeping Wufei from falling over. Reaching up, she startled Duo by easily lifting them out and setting them back on the ground.  
  
The movement seemed to revive Wufei a little, as he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see his grandmother there, but the queen seemed preoccupied with Duo. Heero recognized the queen's entourage as they fell down around them in great leathery flaps. Somewhere nearby, he heard the familiar rumbling of a hovership, no doubt Relena's hoverjet approaching. He ignored the tense vibes he suddenly felt. Probably all the dragons around.   
  
Relena ran over and hugged Duo so tight, the braided boy made a choking noise. "Duo, you horrible idiot! What ever possessed you to do this!?"  
  
"Geez princess, loosen up the grip!" Duo gasped.   
  
"Relena, let go before you break his back!" Heero carefully removed Relena's grasp on Duo. Then he turned and seized Duo by the neck and started shaking him furiously. He was actually being extremely gentle, but what's gentle by GESS standards could be considered brusque by most normal people.  
  
"Duo, you bastard! Are you completely out of your mind!? No, wait, you would need a mind to lose! Not only did you risk your own life, but you risked Quatre's life, Prince Wufei's life, and Princess Relena's life! How could you be so stupid!?"  
  
"Damnit, leggo before you kill me, Heero!" Duo barked angrily. "We can't all be frickin' perfect soldiers! We were just having some fun!"  
  
"Please," Wufei coughed, barely standing on all fours, his wings hanging limply at his sides. One was twisted at an ugly angle. "This is not his fault. I gave them the idea, and I brought them here. I wish to take responsibility for this."  
  
"Wufei, that was very foolish," Silva scolded, even as she examined his wing with concern. She seemed to have lost the interest in Duo that Heero had noticed earlier. "You are a prince. You should know better."  
  
Wufei cringed.  
  
"Hey, no way, you can't take the blame, Wufei!" Duo pushed at Heero's face, uselessly trying to kick the older boy off. "I made you bring us here! It was my idea!"  
  
"No one makes me do anything," Wufei growled, avoiding his grandmother's disapproving look. "So be quiet!"  
  
"Where's Quatre?" Relena looked around.   
  
Heero stopped strangling Duo, and turned his face back towards Relena. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about Quatre! Duo began squirming even more frantically in his grip. He let go, quickly moving away towards the last place he had seen Quatre.  
  
Rubbing his sore neck, Duo stumbled to his feet. "You mean he's not here!?"  
  
"I saw the Silverhead knock him down, just before it attacked me." Heero searched through the trees with his keen eyes. The others were close behind him when he found what he knew would be there. Sprawled beneath a ghostly willow tree, was a small form half hidden in darkness.  
  
Heero was relieved to hear him breathing regularly. Just as he reached him, Relena did as well. Despite the heavy direct blow he had received, Quatre looked well. Relena knelt down and smoothed the hair away from his face.  
  
"Quatre?" Then she glanced up worriedly at Heero as Duo and the dragons approached. "Heero, he's the one the dragons are looking for. They want to kill him... We can't let them take this as an opportunity."  
  
"What?" Heero frowned, not quite understanding what she was saying.  
  
"Quatre!" Duo yelled, pitching down next to Relena. "Is he..."  
  
At this, Quatre finally opened his eyes with a grimace. "Duo, shut up... Argh, my head hurts... What hit me...?" He rubbed a fist across his eyes and his forehead.  
  
Duo laughed happily, ignoring another glare from Heero. "Would you believe a real life, freakin' huge mecha monster? We beat death again, buddy boy!"  
  
"Oh... Again." Quatre groaned, covering his face with his hand. "Can we go home now?"  
  
"Right away," Relena smiled.   
  
Removing his hand, Quatre blinked up at the princess in surprise. "Relena?" He squinted over at Heero. "Heero?" Then he tried to focus on all the huge shapes looming up behind them. "Oh my..."  
  
"This is Quatre." Queen Silva stepped up on her hind legs, staring intensely down at the boy. "Yes. He looks just like his mother."  
  
"What?" Quatre's eyes widened cluelessly.  
  
"Heero..." Relena hissed.  
  
Taking in the situation, Heero realized what Relena had meant by her previous warning. It was unbelievable, but Heero wasn't going to take chances. And as a pure-blooded GESS, he was not intimidated by dragons. A dark corner of his more primal, genetically programmed mind was hoping the dragons would give him an excuse to tear into them.  
  
Then the queen's breath caught and her eyes narrowed. She bared her fangs. "See for yourself! He bears the mark on his leg! The Omegastar!"  
  
Heero looked back just in time to see Quatre automatically clutch at his leg, his face stricken. All he could see was something red showing through his fingers. Was he bleeding? Relena, who had apparently seen more than Heero, had suddenly gone very pale.  
  
"J-just a birthmark..." Quatre stammered, clearly frightened of the huge dragon, who was becoming increasingly aggressive. He reached around, probably looking for the black band Heero had always seen him wear before, but it had been knocked off during the attack, and was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Demon..." Silva hissed, and the other dragons echoed her. "Tesler spirit, the source of all evil... Just as the Prophet foretold, just as it was born as the wizard Char to create and enslave us, now it has been reborn as the Omega to destroy us all! He must be destroyed before he shows his true face!"  
  
The queen lunged.  
  
"Grandmother, no!" Wufei cried out.  
  
Behind him, Heero heard Duo and Quatre scream. Knocking full-force into the queen, he managed to bring her to the ground. With a roar, she moved to knock him away, only to find his arms hooked around her long neck, the hands that had been gentle with Duo just minutes before, now threatening to crush her windpipe. He had her in a tight grip. Just like GESS, the Draca's worst weakness was being caught in such a hold. She froze.  
  
"Stand back from them, or I'll kill her." Heero snarled at the other dragons, who were all ready to jump upon him, fangs and claws bared, their eyes threatening certain death. Perhaps he already would have killed her, but the shock and fear in Wufei's eyes had stopped him. Clearly, he had nothing to do with what was going on. For Wufei, the only dragon he felt any kind of respect for at the moment, he would not go any further than they forced his hand.  
  
Behind him, Relena was shielding Quatre with her body. Quatre's blue eyes were terrified, and he was shaking badly. Next to them, Duo's mouth had dropped, and he seemed to be in shock.  
  
"Release me at once," Silva demanded coldly.  
  
"Princess Relena has not given you permission to do anything to Quatre." Heero growled in reply. "Are you defying the will of the Crown Princess of Cinq? The Crown Princess of Peacecraft, the leader of the free kingdoms? Do as you will, but if you defy her, you will perish at my hands."   
  
"Heero!" Relena shouted. "Let me talk to her!"  
  
"I don't think she wants to talk," Duo said weakly. "What the hell are they talking about? Why're they after Quatre?" He looked to his friend, only to be met with eyes that were just as confused and frightened.   
  
"This is all a big mistake." Relena answered slowly, pulling Quatre to his feet, her eyes never leaving Silva's face. "Your Majesty, I must insist that you and your entourage leave now. Return to Cinq Palace, and we'll continue to discuss this problem in a more civilized manner." Her face screwed up into what Heero recognized as Relena's command look. "Quatre will remain in my custody until this is sorted out to my satisfaction. No one is to harm him in any way, is that clear?"  
  
Silva finally stopped struggling, her face grim. "Yes, your highness. We shall do as you command."  
  
"Let her go, Heero."  
  
With some reluctance, he did as he was told. His fists clenched, he moved aside. The Draca Queen fell to all fours and turned away.  
  
"Just remember my princess, that every mountain was once a small rock, and every great tree was once a small seed. Likewise, when the evil within that boy reveals itself, we shall not be able to move it nor cut it down."  
  
As the dragons moved away, Wufei still stood, stunned. He was looking between Duo and Quatre, clearly at a loss for words. From the look on his face, he seemed to be struggling with something. Finally he gave up at a firm call from his grandmother, slowly moving away, still looking back. With a shadow of regret on his face, the young dragon prince turned away, leaping into the woods after his grandmother.   
  
From the corner of his eye, Heero saw Rashid emerging from the forest. With him were several royal guards. Heero realized they must have been on the hoverjet he had heard earlier. It must have taken them a while to find a suitable place to land.  
  
"Quatre!"   
  
At the sound of Rashid's voice, the boy broke away from Relena and ran to him. Still covering his leg, Quatre was sobbing barely coherent words. "...I tried to hide it, it was an accident, Rashid, I'm sorry..."   
  
"Here. Cover yourself." Rashid put his long-sleeved, dark blue duster coat over Quatre's shoulders. "It wasn't your fault, Quatre. She already knew. I tried, but it was only a matter of time before she found you."   
  
"Knew what? What does she want me for?" Quatre rubbed at his eyes and looked over at Heero and Relena with a troubled worry furrowing between his eyes. "Those things she was saying..."   
  
"Wait a minute!" Duo cut in, giving his best friend an anxious look. "You think maybe they got all in an uproar like that 'cause we trespassed in Skysteppe? C'mon, what kind of crazy people demonize you for just taking a little detour through the bottom of a mountain!? In that case, they should take it up with me too!" Then Duo scowled. "Hey! And what about Wufei!? How could we be trespassing if he let us through there!"  
  
"This is much more serious than trespassing, Duo." Heero wanted to have a serious talk with Rashid and Relena about what had just happened, but he did not think it was a discussion that would be suitable for Duo, and especially Quatre to hear. Quatre... Heero knew the implications of what had just occurred had not fully sunken in yet. If anyone had told him only an hour before, that Quatre was the prime suspect in the darkest of all the ancient prophecies, he probably would have laughed until his sides hurt. However, if the Draca believed it, then it was no laughing matter. Right or wrong, this meant big trouble.  
  
"Then what..." Quatre frowned.   
  
"We'll talk about this when we get home," Relena interrupted firmly. "We've all been through a lot tonight, and we'll need some rest before arriving back at the palace."  
  
"But..."   
  
"That's enough." Rashid put a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "The princess is right, this is not the time or place for talk."  
  
Heero nodded. "Let's go, people."  
  
***  
  
The rain was coming down hard. He could hear it pelting relentlessly against the glass panes. Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but pitch black.  
  
Curled in warm blankets, Quatre was confused for a few minutes. "Duo?" He whispered. "Wufei?" As he pulled himself up, the haze of sleep began to clear away from his memory.  
  
"Rashid?" When there was no reply, he cleared his throat to speak more clearly. "Lights on."  
  
Instantly, he was bathed in bright illumination as the room's voice-activated system hummed to life. He was in one of the spacious, rose-hued guestrooms of Cinq Palace. Legs slipping over the side, he left the bed, the long blue coat he still wore trailing after him.  
  
He stepped into the dark sitting area of the guestroom.   
  
"Lights on."  
  
There was no one there. Only velvet couches and a small polished wooden table with matching chairs. He turned around and looked at the bed beside the one he had slept in. There was no sign that the other bed had been slept in, though he remembered Rashid being there.  
  
How long had he been asleep? Quatre spotted a clock on the wall. It was 6 minutes past noon. It had been early morning when they had finally returned to the palace. He dimly remembered Heero saying that the dragons had been delayed because of the storm, but he had been half asleep, having slept through most of trip back on the hoverjet. After he and Rashid were escorted to the room, he had immediately fallen back to sleep.  
  
On the undisturbed bed was a pile of clothing and a small paper note. He picked it up and read it.   
  
  
Quatre,  
  
Wear these clothes, and do not let anyone else see your birthmark. I know you are very confused, but I must speak with the prince and princess now. Do not leave the room, it is too dangerous for you to be wandering around right now. I will explain everything to you as soon as I can.   
  
-Rashid  
  
  
Putting the note aside, Quatre looked down at the clothes his guardian had laid out for him. What in the world was going on?  
  
At least Rashid didn't seem to be angry, he thought as he slipped out of his coat and pulled on the white shirt. He had expected him to be furious. Untying his loincloth, he pulled it off and folded it neatly before setting it down on the bed. Then he lifted up the white briefs Rashid had left him with a feeling of dismay. Those things were so constricting.  
  
He pulled them on anyway, and the pair of loose-fitting black pants after them. He had to tighten and tie the drawstring, and fold up the legs a bit to make them fit, and even then they bunched up at his ankles. Then he took off his sandals and put on the fresh pair of socks and the brown hiking boots. Strange, he thought as he tied them up, he did own a pair of sneakers. Usually he only wore his hiking boots when he and Rashid went on a trip. Was Rashid expecting them to leave soon?  
  
After tying the last boot, he put his foot on the floor and picked up the blue duster. He was now certain that whatever trouble he was in had nothing to do with his crazy adventure with Duo and Wufei. It had something to do with his birthmark, the Draca Queen had turned on him after she had seen it, saying bizarre stuff about demons and wizards. Then she had tried to kill him.  
  
Quatre felt a wave of sickness. He sat down on the bed, then lay on his side, holding the wrinkled coat against his chest. Something bad was happening. He wanted Rashid to come back and explain it away, and make him feel better.  
  
Closing his eyes, he listened to the rain fall. Was this the reason Rashid had warned him never to show anyone the birthmark? Was there really something bad about it? He had never liked to look at it himself, even though it was a part of him. It looked like an evil face staring out from the inside. The only person he had ever shown it to was Duo, and even he was creeped out by it.   
  
He wished Duo was there with him. Feeling a little better, he crawled off the bed, pulling on the coat for extra warmth. He crossed over to the back wall, and put his hand on the cold surface.  
  
"Window up, please."   
  
The wall wiped away, becoming a transparent surface, revealing the rolling black stormclouds and a sheet of grey rain, raging through the winds. Quatre searched the sky with a sigh.   
  
He disliked rainy days. The clouds were depressing.   
  
Leaving the room, he attempted to sneak out. Only to find himself by the two guards by his door. They blocked his way.  
  
"Sorry, Quatre, we can't let you out. The princess has ordered you confined to this room until she or the prince says otherwise."  
  
"It's okay Rio." Quatre recognized the guards. Being a regular pest around the palace, he knew most of them by name. "But could you at least smuggle me something to eat? I'm starving."  
  
"Can do."  
  
"What's going on, anyway?" The other guard, a redhead named Keth asked, looking once over his shoulder. "Everybody's been put on a state of alert, and there's rumors the Draca tried to assassinate Princess Relena. You and Duo didn't incite a war this time, did you?"  
  
"I hope not." Quatre blinked at the two young guards, truly hoping they were just gossiping.   
  
"Hey, we're not supposed to talk to him, remember?" Rio reprimanded her partner with a glare. She pushed him. "Now go get him some lunch!"  
  
She turned to Quatre with a smile as Keth stalked off grumbling. "Now you stay in your room like a good boy, okay?" She said as she shooed him back. Then she pushed a button on the wallpanel, and the door slid shut.  
  
Quatre ran a hand back through his hair. It seemed he was going to be trapped there a while. Facing the room again, he found himself staring at the lonely painting on the back wall.   
  
It was a richly detailed painting of the Cinq Kingdom's forest valley at sunset. So realistic, it was practically glowing. He enjoyed looking at the light, it made him feel warm inside. It reminded him...  
  
Soft white light... A shadow of light...   
  
A chill passed through him as the memory of the cloaked man returned to him. He had almost forgotten about him and the ghostly light he had seen. Strange that he could possibly forget, but he really hadn't remembered until the painting reminded him. Quatre dropped his gaze to the floor with a shiver.  
  
What was happening to him?  
  
He stood there so long, lost in his thoughts, that when the door behind him suddenly opened and closed, he gave a startled shriek. He jumped around to see Duo standing there with a covered tray. The braided boy's violet eyes were round with shock.   
  
"It's only me, sheesh." He looked over Quatre's clothes with a raised eyebrow, then went to set the tray on the table. "Well, don't we look all adult today. What's with the getup?" He pulled out a chair noisily and straddled it, draping his arms over the back.  
  
Quatre shrugged and shook his head, flushing lightly. "It's nothing. Rashid just thought I needed to cover up better after what happened... What?" Duo was staring at him in a strange, almost analytical way.  
  
Duo smiled with a nod, then his expression melted into a seriously somber look. "The security around here is so tight, you wouldn't believe it. I talked Keth into letting me bring your food in, cuz I really had to talk to you. ...Did you know about...y'know? What's going on?"  
  
"I'm beginning to think you know a lot more than I do." Quatre glanced over at the door, then back at Duo. "So if you know something, please let me in on it!"  
  
Duo rubbed his fingers together apprehensively. "Well, some of the names Queen Silva mentioned back there sounded familiar, and I thought I might be able to figure out what she was on about if I did a little research. So, even though my Mom grounded me for the rest of my life, I snuck out and went over to the library."  
  
"And...?" Quatre coaxed him to continue, a little impatiently.  
  
Duo looked at him, and once more Quatre felt as though his friend was examining him as he might a puzzle game. Then Duo's eyes turned away at the wall, and he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. He sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the floor. "Quatre... You'd better sit down for this."  
  
***  
  
The royal garden. Usually bright sunlight would be streaming through the transparent walls, setting aglow the hanging green vines and the brightly colored, exotic wildflowers. Instead all was dark and grey, no light breaking through the chaos of rain and swirling black clouds.   
  
Sheltered within the indoor palace garden, three sat alone in the shadows, the garden surrounding them closely as though it were trying to hide them. They spoke in hushed voices,   
  
"Rashid, we need to know everything if we're going to help him. You understand, don't you?"   
  
"Yes, princess," sighed Rashid. "I know. I'm sorry to have gotten you involved in this."  
  
"Let's just get down to it." Heero sat hunched over his knees, his eyes closed. "How do you know Queen Silva, and what is the truth about Quatre?"  
  
Heero could almost hear him collecting his thoughts. After a moment, Rashid started speaking. "I was born and raised in the Flynn Kingdom, up in the Northernland. You were too young to remember, but the War against the Wizards had been ongoing for generations, and there was no one alive who had known a world without war. Like so many, I joined the Peacecraft armed forces as soon as I came of age. Eventually, I became a pilot in Cinq's Royal Air Corps. My fellow pilots were like family, and my closest friend among them was a brilliant young woman named Quaterine."  
  
"She wouldn't happen to be Quatre's mother, would she?" Relena asked quietly. Heero remained silent.  
  
"Yes..." Rashid answered in a gravelly tone. "I was shocked when she confided her pregnancy to me. She wouldn't tell me who the father was, and I didn't pry. It was causing her much distress, and I promised to help her conceal it as long as possible. The war was growing in intensity, and we knew something big was happening. Even with her child at stake, Quaterine refused to leave the battlefield when we needed help more than ever. I think our Captain suspected something was wrong, but she managed to avoid him, and I distracted him when I could. I thought it could only go on for so long, but Quaterine grew very little during her pregnancy. It worried me so much I almost gave her secret away a few times, but she held me to my word." A pained look crossed his face. "Many times I've wished I had reported her. It would have been better to lose her friendship than for Quatre to have never known his mother. Maybe none of this would be happening now."  
  
"So what happened to her?" Relena seemed to glow for a brief moment as another flash of lightning crashed far beyond their sanctuary.  
  
Rashid's expression grew dark. "The final battle. Doomsday."  
  
Heero's fists clenched unconsciously. A burning memory of white light flooding the skies, turning night into day. The silent sound of untold thousands screaming their last. His people. His mother and father.  
  
"She went into labor right in the middle of the battle." Rashid bowed his head. "I immediately evacuated her from the battlefield, but we ran into bad weather near the Ashlock mountains." His eyes, lost in memories turned towards the storm clouds rolling outside. "Our craft was struck by lightning, and I was forced to make an emergency landing in the mountains. Our descent was seen by Queen Silva, who had been on her way back to the battlefield, and she came to our rescue. When she arrived, I was fine, but Quaterine was in bad shape, and about to give birth. Silva was ready to deliver the baby right there, but then we heard the atmosphere become unnaturally silent. We looked up to see a brilliant white light spreading out from the distant horizon, reaching out towards us. Everything in its path disappeared, and the sky above us was becoming as bright as day.  
  
"Frightened, we escaped into a nearby cave. Deep underground, we heard what sounded like a tremendous demonic roar as the ground shook around us. I'll never forget how scared Quaterine was, with tears running down her cheeks as she gave birth to her son. When Silva saw the birthmark on the baby's leg, she started talking about prophecies I had never heard of, and demanded he be destroyed immediately. Quaterine pleaded for his life, and I was ready to lay down my own. But the queen took pity on Quaterine and agreed to let the child live for a little while. As my friend lay dying, and her newborn son screamed, I promised I would protect him.   
  
"When we emerged, Quaterine was dead, and the world was transformed. The forests of the eastern foothills had been stricken white as chalk. Everything beyond that point had been wiped away, everyone was gone. As if they had never existed. The once Endless Plains were nothing but desert, a vast, empty desert of ivory sands.  
  
"I named the baby Quatre, after his mother. I raised him, thinking I could hide him from the dragons. But after so many years passed and nothing had happened, I began to let my guard down. Then one day Quatre came home talking about how he and Duo were going to go see the dragons that were visiting the kingdom the next day. Suspecting the worst, I tried to keep Quatre at home. It was my plan to lie low while I prepared our departure from the kingdom." He frowned deeply with regret. "I should have done so long ago. Now, it's too late... You know the rest." Rashid finally finished.  
  
"What a sad story." Relena pulled her arms tight around herself as if she had a chill, despite the warmth of the climate-controlled garden. Heero restrained himself from reaching out to comfort her the way he wanted to, and instead stared out at the grey sheets of water coming down hard outside.  
  
"I'm assuming her name was Quaterine Raberba, since Quatre doesn't share your name, Rashid Kurama." Heero said, without turning his stare back towards the robed man. "Was there anything unusual about her? Anything at all?"  
  
"She was quiet and tended to keep to herself a lot," Rashid mused, "but nothing unusual that I could tell. She was an excellent pilot, the best in our unit. Other than that, she resembled Quatre a great deal, in all ways. And he is clearly no more a demon than she was."  
  
"I'm afraid the birthmark cannot be dismissed so easily," Relena sighed. "I saw it. It really does look like something terrible... Even for the brief moment I saw it. Rashid, regardless of what your personal feelings are, is that really the Omega mark?"  
  
"It is... as the mark is described..." Rashid answered hesitantly. "But Princess Relena, whatever it means, I simply refuse to believe that Quatre could be what the Draca say he is!"  
  
"It could be..." Heero turned to face them again. Rashid was angered, and Relena was shocked. "That Quatre is the Omega. With the evidence so far, I doubt we'll be able to persuade the Draca otherwise. Rashid, I understand how you feel, but denial can no longer help Quatre. We must put our own feelings aside and look at the facts."  
  
"Heero!" Relena gasped.  
  
"Your Highness, are you suggesting Quatre handed over to those... those MONSTERS when he has done nothing wrong!?" Rashid was livid.  
  
"Of course not." Heero answered cooly, if mildly indignant. "Just bear with me. Now, are you sure you don't know who his father was? You know why this is important, don't you?"  
  
"Yes..." Rashid calmed down somewhat. "I'm afraid I really don't know. I thought there was something going on between Quaterine and our Captain, but he didn't know anything about her preganancy." His eyes flickered around nervously. "But..."  
  
"What?" Heero raised his eyebrows. "Rashid, don't hold back."  
  
"I don't know if it's even worth mentioning." Rashid looked up apprehensively. "It... It's just an odd memory that haunts me. A few months before she revealed her pregnancy to me, Quaterine had an emergency that stranded her out on a plateau. She was alright, but when I went to retrieve her, I could see from the air that she wasn't alone. Quaterine, standing in front, waved towards me. And behind her... A man in a dark cloak..." Rashid shuddered. "It was too far away to make him out, but even from that distance, I could tell he was looking at me, and for some reason it scared the hell out of me. By the time I landed, he had turned and walked away. I asked Quatrina about him, but she didn't want to talk about it. I didn't push the matter."  
  
Heero was quiet.  
  
"According to the prophecy, the Omega will be descended from the slave class and the wizard class," Relena murmured. "So do you think it could have been a Wizard out there with Quaterine?"  
  
Heero could tell from the look on Rashid's face that it was exactly what Rashid believed, even if he refused to acknowledge it. He didn't want to believe it either. But the building evidence was damning. However...  
  
Overcome with the tension, Relena slapped her palm on the ground. "No, just listen to us, this is ridiculous! Quatre is obviously not some demon wizard!" She cried, covering her eyes with her hand. "Prophecy or no, I won't let Quatre be killed! Something isn't right!"  
  
"Don't worry." Heero stood and stretched. "If the Draca want Quatre, they'll have to prove their case, and I know the prophecy as well as any dragon." He smirked, a gleam in his eye. "And despite all the very strange coincidences, there's still some details of the prophecy that just don't add up."  
  
***  
  
Sitting there in the hard wooden chair, Quatre stared at Duo. The boy with the big violet eyes had been talking for at least an hour, and had finally stopped. Quatre swallowed, his mouth very dry, even though he hadn't spoken a word.   
  
"What!?" He squeaked.  
  
His legs up on the table, Duo looked back at him with his hands behind his head. "Yeah, crazy, isn't it? But if you're the Omega," he smirked sarcastically, "then I'm the God of Death." He pushed back his bangs back with a sigh. "All kidding aside, this really is serious. The Draca want you sacrificed for the good of humanity. They're hovering all over the place like a bunch of vultures. I wouldn't be surprised if we went to war if Relena refuses to hand you over, they're that crazy."  
  
Quatre held his head in his hands. Crazy was right... Had the entire world gone crazy? Or was this just a bizarre dream? He glanced up. Duo was still staring at him, probably expecting him to suddenly grow horns or start making things explode with some kind of magic powers.   
  
"Duo, what about Wufei? He's their prince, right? Why doesn't he tell them I'm not a Wizard?"   
  
Duo shook his head. "Haven't seen Wufei around since they took him away last night. I think he was taken back to Skysteppe. For all we know, he believes you're evil incarnate like the rest of 'em."  
  
With a heavy sigh, Quatre dropped his hands between his legs and leaned back in his chair. "I should have listened to Rashid... I should have stayed home..."   
  
"Sorry for getting you into this." Duo put his feet on the floor with a gloomy look on his usually cheerful face.   
  
"No, it's not your fault," Quatre managed to smile. "There were some scary moments, but overall, before it all blew up, I was having fun. Being with you is always fun, Duo."   
  
With a faint blush, Duo smiled back.   
  
***  
  
It had been a week since the last time he had been outside the palace. Quatre was sorely tempted to make a run for the wide open grey sky exposed on the other side of the towering royal courtchamber. Even if there was nothing but a very long drop on the other side. Except that the reason it was exposed was to allow entrance to the several dragons that stood between himself and freedom. Some of them glared at him. Others looked afraid. They all wanted him dead.  
  
Feeling sick to his stomach, Quatre turned away from their stares, down towards the mirror-like surface of the pearlescent floor. At his side, Rashid stood like a great stone statue. He had told him nothing more than what Duo had about a prophecy Quatre had never heard of before. Rashid had promised everything would be okay, but Quatre didn't think he could do anything if this went badly.   
  
To Quatre's right, stood the Peacecraft throne, a solid crystal chair that stood high above all others in the chamber. In the mist that fed the lush greenery that curled and blossomed from behind it, the throne sparkled like a prism. Above where Relena sat, set in the great throne, aqua-blue crystal gleamed, the diamondstar that was the symbol of Cinq and Peacecraft.  
  
On the throne, Relena sat straight and tall, if a little too stiffly. She had told Quatre once that she felt uncomfortable sitting in the crystal seat. But even if she didn't feel comfortable there, she certainly looked every bit the princess she was. She was wearing her gold circlet, the aqua-blue jewel of the diamondstar rising above her brow. For once her hair was not pulled back, her honey-brown hair falling over her shoulders in waves. She wore a long, blue silk gown bearing diamondstar sapphires in the hems at her ankles and on the wide sleeves. Over this she wore a golden silk robe, embroidered with silver diamondstars. According to Relena, the robe had once been worn by King Amuro himself, and by all Peacecraft Monarchs since. The robe itself had been crafted in Bluedawn, a kingdom that no longer existed. The toes of her blue silk slippers didn't even reach the top step of the crystal pedastal the throne sat on. She seemed small and delicate, but no one would dare approach her without permission.  
  
The main reason stood to the right of the crystal Peacecraft throne. Heero was glaring at the Draca, the blood-red diamondstar jewel in his silver circlet almost glowing with the tension coming from him. It hung between his eyes like a dagger, shadowing his eyes in a way that made him look more brooding than he usually was. From beneath his jaw and down, he was covered in what appeared to be skin-tight quicksilver. It didn't simply stretch as he moved, it FLOWED to fit his form. Woven with thousands upon thousands of whisper-thin fibers of wizard crystal, such cloth was virtually indestructable. Such garments were the ancient traditional attire of the GESS, originally devised by the Wizards as battle armor. They took painstaking care and detail, as well as time to create, making them extremely hard to come by. Once they had even been handed down as heirlooms. It was said that the GESS armor was the only material that could withstand a true GESS to GESS battle. All other clothing and footwear would rip away under the superhuman abuse. Although the armor was a complete one-piece bodysuit, Heero still wore matching silver boots and elbow-high gloves. On his chest, in brilliant red, was etched a diamondstar within a diamondstar, the symbol of the GESS, the Protectors of Peacecraft, and Guardians of the Cinq Kingdom.  
  
Two rows of massive white columns, reaching all the way up to the brightly lit ceiling, were spaced widely, leading from the Peacecraft throne to the great opening on the other side of the courtchamber. Between these columns, on both sides, were stands carved in blue stone, crawling with the same blossoming ivy that embraced the great columns. They were filled with people, some colorful, others subdued. Some wore exotic clothing, and others wore almost no clothing at all. They were the members of the Peacecraft Royal Court, representatives from all the free kingdoms that had survived the Doomsday War. The people who would decide Quatre's fate.  
  
Right now, they looked like they would rather be anywhere else. Between Heero's obvious bad mood, and the hostile stances of the Draca, being caught in the middle was not a good place to be at the moment. With a small sigh, Quatre turned his eyes towards the open sky once more, fiercely wishing the clouds would clear up.   
  
Finally, Relena spoke.  
  
"Queen Silva of the Draca, you have demanded the life of one of my subjects. I ask that you explain to the Peacecraft Royal Court why I should sacrifice a seemingly innocent young boy. Tell them, and tell me."  
  
Although she gave an air of serenity, Quatre could see the chill in Relena's eyes. She had spent most of the week trying to settle the problem in direct discussion with Silva, only to find herself forced to take it to the court. And Relena hated this degree of formality. And of course, she hated being forced to put Quatre at this big a risk. If the court took Silva's side, he was done for.  
  
Stepping forward gracefully, Queen Silva bowed before the throne, her spread wings almost filling the chamber before she folded them again. "Thank you, your Highness."  
  
And so she began.   
  
Most of it was the same old. The legend of Char, the first Wizard, the young demonchild who gave rise to civilization and the Wizards themselves. Of the Great Revolution, and the story of how King Amuro slew Char and founded the free kingdoms of Peacecraft. And of the prophecies given to him and the Draca by the Prophet. Prophecies that all came to pass. All but the last and the worst. The Omega Prophecy, which warned of a boy born of Wizard and Slave descent, the reincarnation of Char, an all-powerful creature destined to destroy all of creation. That the Omega would come from the east, across white sands, bearing the Omegastar. On and on, she went. After a while, Quatre stopped paying attention.   
  
Then she started telling a different story, about the end of the Doomsday War. About a woman named Quaterine and a man named Rashid. And Quatre's eyes widened. As the queen finished her tale, Quatre glanced sharply at his guardian, who was now avoiding his eyes.   
  
Rashid hadn't told him how the dragons had first been made aware of his birthmark. He hadn't told him that part. So his mother hadn't died in Doomsday. Not really. What else could Rashid be lying about? His chest and eyes were beginning to burn, but he held it down. Why hadn't he told him the truth? Why?  
  
"I acknowledge that what I ask of you is not a pleasant thing." The Draca Queen said sincerely. "But if you do not heed the warnings, the warnings that were handed down to us from the very beginning, you will see all that we have struggled for the past thousand years be swept away in a storm of chaos!" She turned her gaze across the entire court. "I know he looks like an innocent boy, but so did Char when he took power. He is the Tesler Spirit, the source of all evil, in human form, just as Char was. The Draca have always guided you rightly through the ages. We do not lie now. Especially not about something as serious as this." She bowed once more, stepping back.  
  
"May the light which guides the Prophet, guide you."  
  
Quatre turned to find that most of the court was now staring at him. It was mostly curiosity, but it made him horribly uneasy. He sure hoped he didn't look like some kind of evil omnipotent being. He sure hoped he wasn't going to throw up in front of the entire Royal Court. His head was starting to spin, he had to look away.  
  
Turning his eyes from beneath his bowed blonde locks to Heero, he saw the GESS Prince restraining himself from making some rude comment. His arms were crossed over his chest, clenching his fists almost compulsively. Quatre bit his lip. Why, why was this happening because of him? He didn't want to hurt anybody. He didn't even have any powers.  
  
It was only a freakish birthmark. Nothing more.  
  
The court was whispering amongst themselves now. The name Prophet seemed to be floating around a lot. Prophet. Could it be the same Prophet he had met in the White Woods? He remembered the foreboding words the cloaked one had given him, bitter, ugly words. Nothing troubled him as much as that memory, and he had not confided it to anyone, not even Duo.   
  
After bowing before Princess Relena, Heero turned and glared firey death at the Draca Queen. His tone, however, was ice cold. "It's true that the Prophet's prophecies have always come to pass. They are flawless. But that's just the problem. Quatre does not fulfill the all the signs given by Prophet himself." He turned his head to look at Quatre. "Come here, Quatre."  
  
Nervously, Quatre stepped forward.   
  
"Quatre, push me down." Heero said.  
  
"What?" Quatre stopped in mid-step. "I can't..."  
  
"Just try." Heero frowned. "Try like your life depends on it."  
  
Because it does, Quatre thought with a nervous twitch. Somehow. But what was Heero up to? He knew he couldn't do it! No one could move Heero if he didn't want to be moved.  
  
"If you say so..." Moving behind Heero, he put both hands on his back and pushed. And pushed. And when that didn't work, he leaned against him and put his shoulders into it, his boots squeaking loudly against the polished floor. Heero wasn't budging at all.   
  
"Your Majesty," Heero said, ignoring as Quatre kicked at his boots hopelessly, "I think you left some little details out of your grand declaration of Quatre's demonhood. According to the original Omega Prophecy, as recorded in the ancient texts of Rainsoul, the Omega will not be descended of just any Slave class, but of GESS blood. As you can see, Quatre is no stronger than any other boy his age. He can't so much as nudge me out of the way." Heero looked absolutely feral at this point. Quatre decided to quit kicking at him, and moved a step away. "Obviously Quatre does not have superhuman strength anymore than he has magical power."  
  
"It's a trick!" Hissed one of Silva's personal court.  
  
"I'm not finished." Heero continued. "According to the prophecy, the Omega arrives from across white sands." Heero glanced at Quatre. "Your suspect has lived in this valley kingdom his entire life."  
  
"Prince Heero, you are skirting the issue." Silva growled. "Let the court see the boy's mark themselves. Mysterious discrepancies aside, the mark is clearly not of any natural origin, a warning sign of this boy's true nature that you would be foolish to ignore!"  
  
Fear buzzed through Quatre's nerves as he saw Heero glance from him, back to Relena where she sat on her crystal throne. He turned and looked back at Rashid, who was helpless to do anything but stand there. His stomach fell as Heero spoke again.  
  
"Fine. Quatre, please remove your pants and let the court see your birthmark."  
  
"I will not!" Quatre cried with a touch of horror in his voice. Dropping his pants in front of strangers didn't really bother him. He was used to going around nearly nude. But his birthmark was different. To him, it was the most private part of his body, and not only because Rashid had drilled it into him to keep it hidden. When people looked at it, Quatre felt like his soul was exposed to view, and he felt extremely uncomfortable at the thought of just anyone staring at it. His hands clenched painfully tight.  
  
"He's trying to hide it," Silva snorted. "Even he knows there is no way to explain away the mark."  
  
"Quatre, take them off now." Heero's voice was very tense, almost angry. "Or I will do it for you."  
  
Quatre glanced back at Rashid, who nodded solemnly. So, his eyes fixed on the floor, Quatre saw himself pull his pants off. His face burned as Heero pulled the duster away to reveal the hellish red mark on his thigh. Several gasps and commotion came from the court. He could hear the Draca hissing at him again.  
  
"T-That is enough, Heero." Relena said shakily. "Quatre, you may cover yourself now."  
  
Hastily, he did so, and pulled his duster tighter around himself. Only then did he lift his eyes to see the people staring at him, no longer merely curious. He saw the gleam of suspicious fear in their eyes, keeping their gazes locked on him even as they whispered to each other behind their hands. Quatre slouched slightly as he turned away from them.   
  
"I think you just made things worse," he whispered sullenly as Heero moved past him, back towards the center of the courtroom.  
  
"As you can see, Quatre is not hiding anything." Heero told the court, though he was looking back at Quatre when he said it. "He possesses an unusual mark, but that is the only piece of the prophecy he fits. And I can assure you that he has never shown any sign of power or malicious behavior.  
  
The court was murmuring amongst themselves as Heero led Quatre back towards the throne. "Don't give them reason to suspect you of anything." Heero whispered to him in warning. "Few of them have any real belief in the prophecies. Without a solid case against you, the Draca can't win this."  
  
Behind them, the Draca were growling again. As he and Heero turned around, Quatre knew that with their excellent hearing, they had picked up everything the prince had said. The corner of Heero's mouth twitched as though he wanted to smile, his cold eyes staring defiantly back at the giant creatures.  
  
As the dragon queen stretched up on her back legs to stand at her full height beneath the enormous ceiling of the courtroom, Quatre thought she was going to attack them. Her vivid blue eyes were burning. Shifting in their seats, the court seemed alarmed. Above, Relena rose from her seat.  
  
"The situation is worse than I imagined." Silva said quietly after a long uncomfortable silence. "Long ago, my people were the first to see the truth and to escape from the cruelty of Illuminus, the Wizard Kingdom, in ancient times. We were the people the Prophet chose to carry and keep his prophecies. We have always served the Peacecraft Kingdoms faithfully, and been the guardians of Cinq's eastern border. Remember this before dismissing our warnings. These past fourteen years have been very quiet, but do not allow yourselves to be caught off guard. The worst is still to come."  
  
***  
  
Heero was right. After it was all over, the court had decided there was not enough evidence to support the accusation against Quatre. Certainly not enough to warrant his death.   
  
At first he was relieved. Heero had proven the prophecy to be wrong, and everything could go back to the way it had been. But the dragons didn't go away. More of them came. Queen Silva claimed she had nothing to do with the sudden influx of dragons into the kingdom. But even as she claimed to respect the decision of the royal court, the Draca muttered amongst themselves, keeping constant watch on the palace. They seemed to be waiting for something.  
  
Staring outside, he could see them staring back.   
  
"Aren't they ever going away?" Quatre moaned. "It's been three weeks since the trial. Four whole weeks I've been kept in here like a prisoner, even though the court decided in my favor! What do they want from me?"  
  
"Your head on a platter is my first guess." Duo said from where he lay on the couch. "They sure are convinced you're the real thing."  
  
"If I was," Quatre grumbled, "wouldn't I have brain-zapped them into leaving me alone or something by now?" He was so tired of being inside. Walking away from the window, he draped himself over the couch and looked down at Duo. "I can't take this anymore. I'm suffocating. You've got to get me out of here."  
  
"I've gotten you into enough trouble." Duo pushed himself up on his arms. "Don't you get it? You go out there, you'll be dragon chow. That's why Heero and Rashid are keeping you in here."  
  
"For how long?" The rusty light of the setting sun was slowly moving away across the room. Another day was ending. Another day of pacing around a slowly shrinking room. Another day just like the one before. There seemed to be no end to it. "Forever? Duo, I'm going to go crazy. Rashid doesn't think they're going away."  
  
"Neither does Heero." Duo said softly. "Relena's still trying to negotiate with them, but..." He shook his head. "Rashid and Heero have been talking a lot lately, y'know. I don't know what they're up to, I can't get a word out of them." He smiled weakly. "But hey, Hilde says hi. I'm going to try smuggling her in later tonight."  
  
"No." Quatre pulled himself over the back of the couch and pounced onto Duo, pinning him down. "You're smuggling me out to Hilde."  
  
"No way!" Duo frowned. "If anything happens to you out there, I'd never forgive myself!"  
  
"Duo, please," he pleaded. "Help me. I'm getting out of here whether you're with me or not, but you know I'm no good at sneaking around."  
  
Duo's face contorted, and Quatre was sure he was going to protest again. Instead, he let out an exasperated breath and scowled. Then he pushed Quatre off, and leaned over the side, his braid falling over his shoulder as he eyed him almost suspiciously.  
  
"Are you sure you don't have some kind of brain-zapping power?"  
  
Quatre only smiled happily.  
  
***   
  
Thick red smeared across the pristine pearl-gold of the corridor wall as his clawed hand dragged across it, ripping through vines and white blossoms. With a strangled scream, Duo slid down to the floor, an oozing red mess. He lifted his eyes to meet the horrified looks on Keth and Rio's faces as they rushed up to him.  
  
"Duo! What happened!?"  
  
"I can't find a wound... Duo!"  
  
Flailing around on the ground, Duo pulled away from them, screaming louder. Past the guard's frightened faces, he saw Quatre quietly slip out of his room. With a quick thumbs up, the blonde darted down the other end of the corridor, his duster flying behind him as he turned out of sight. Duo stopped screaming and started laughing.   
  
Keth's mouth dropped open in shock. "Why you little...!"  
  
Outraged, Rio drew back, and glared at the red gunk on her hands. "Ketchup! Duo Maxwell, you idiot! That wasn't funny!" She lunged at him, but Duo dodged away before the aqua-haired girl could catch him.   
  
"Bye!" Duo's sandals left scarlet skid marks on the polished surface of the floor as he made his quick escape. Keth looked angrier than he could remember ever seeing him. But mostly Duo didn't want to stay in the path of Rio's legendary temper. He hoped Quatre appreciated his newfound freedom that Duo would undoubtedly be paying for later.  
  
***  
  
The cool of the autumn night was so peaceful and pleasant, all seemed right with the world. Quatre felt like a dreamer who had awoken from a nightmare. Being trapped inside for so long had that effect. Throwing off the white shawl Duo had hidden him beneath while slipping him past the palace guards, he laughed and spun around, soaking in the moonlight. The trees seemed to laugh with him as the wind flew vigorously through the dying leaves.  
  
"Good thing those guards were more concerned about intruders getting in than you getting out." Duo was looking over his shoulder once more. "But once they find out, I don't know if you'll be able to break out like this again."  
  
"That's no problem, since I'm not going back." Quatre said matter-of-factly, watching the white shawl riding the wind, floating up into the air until it swirled away in a wild wind to be lost in the treetops.  
  
"W-whoa, hold on, you can't be serious!" Duo grabbed Quatre's arm roughly, pulling him out of the moonlight, into the shadows. "Maybe you STILL don't get it, but those dragons want to KILL you! Relena and Heero's protection is the only reason you aren't dead right now!"  
  
"I know, I know..." Quatre's eyes glanced back towards the forest path that led back to the palace. "But Duo, it isn't right for them to be fighting over me. If Draca and Cinq became enemies because of me, I couldn't bear it. But nothing'll happen if I just disappear, right?"  
  
Duo sputtered in the darkness. "I never should have brought you out here, if I had known what kind of ideas you'd gotten into your head...! Runaway!? Isn't that what dropped us into this mess in the first place? Besides, where do you think you could go? All of Cinq must be swarming with dragons by now!" He glanced over his shoulder, clearly still expecting one to fall on them at any moment.  
  
Instead, Hilde appeared through the trees. She looked from one to the other, her blue eyes round with surprise. "Runaway? You two still haven't learned your lesson?" For once she wasn't in uniform, wearing sandals like Duo's, and a raspberry colored loincloth and wraparound top. Shiny red beads sewn into her clothing tap-tapped together as she moved.  
  
"Calm down, I never said anything about leaving Cinq." Quatre drew away from Duo and crossed his arms anxiously. "Just a hiding place that no one knows about. Maybe if I go away, they'll all forget and go away." Even as he said it, he didn't really believe it. The Draca were completely obsessed with him. It was very likely that they would never leave him alone.   
  
"Maybe, but if they catch you, there's no telling what they'll do to you..." Hilde shivered slightly. "They say you're..."  
  
"They're crazy." Quatre turned his eyes away to stare into the surrounding dark woods. "You don't believe them, do you, Hilde?"   
  
There was a moment's pause. "Of course I don't." Hilde replied hesitantly. "It's just really strange that they'd target you. The Draca aren't known to make outrageous accusations like this. I can't help thinking there must be something we're all missing here." She shook her head. "But that doesn't change the fact that you'd be much safer back at the palace!"  
  
"See, she agrees with me!" Duo marched in front of Quatre. "And if you take off like this, you'll only make yourself look even more guilty!"  
  
Quatre frowned. "Guilty!? I was cleared by the court! I have every right to go where I please! Duo, if you were in my place, would you just sit around in the palace until you grew mold?"  
  
"I would've ditched much sooner than this." Duo mumbled in defeat. "Alright buddy, if this is what you really want to do." He looked up at him sternly. "We can keep you at the lake hideout. It's the only one Heero doesn't know about."  
  
"Thanks, Duo." Feeling relieved to have Duo firmly on his side, he turned cautiously to Hilde. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"  
  
"What do you think?" Hilde shook her head ruefully. "I can keep a secret. But I'd like one in exchange." She smiled over at Duo.  
  
"What?" His large violet eyes looked wary.  
  
"Where's this lake hideout?" Hilde smiled wickedly.  
  
"Uh oh..." Quatre couldn't help smiling a little as Duo slumped over wearily. Poor Duo... It just couldn't be helped.  
  
"So much for the last remaining sanctuary." The braided boy sighed.  
  
***  
  
Lake Lament. It was the place where most of the rivers in Cinq converged before flowing away through the western mountains into the ocean. The crystal surface rippled as the wind whistled across. Here, on the far western edge of the city of Center, it was illegal to build on the shores of the precious waters that sustained most of the kingdom. Therefore it was usually deserted.  
  
Sitting among thick gnarled roots of a mulberry tree, Quatre rubbed a big, yellow, floppy leaf between his fingers. A few years back, it had been struck by lightning. Most of the insides had been burnt to charcoal. When the boys had discovered it, they'd hollowed out the large tree, creating a small hideaway for themselves. It had been used a great deal during the summers when they'd come out to swim. Now it was Quatre's only retreat.  
  
Letting the leaf go, he watched the wind sweep it away down the steep, root-tangled shorebank. It settled with many others like it, spinning around in the waters below. With a small sigh, he leaned forward on the large root until he was lying on his stomach facing the lake like a contented housecat.  
  
Despite its name, he had nothing but happy memories associated with the lake. Many summers had he lain in the same way, lazing the blazing hot days away beneath the leafy shade of the mulberry with Duo. Watching the sunlight dance across the lake's wide, crystalline horizon, he almost felt like everything was right with the world again.  
  
"You know why they call it Lake Lament, don't you?"  
  
Startled to hear a voice after hours of solitude, Quatre gave a start, almost sliding off into the water as he pushed himself up. It was Hilde, standing next to the tree, holding a basket in her arms. She was still in uniform, meaning that she had come directly from the palace.   
  
"Legend..." Quatre found his voice a little rusty from disuse over the past two days. "...says that it was created from the tears of the Prophet."  
  
"Oh, boo hoo." Duo suddenly appeared at Hilde's side. "What the hell does he have to cry about anyway? Seems he's the one causing us all the grief!" He pulled the basket from Hilde. "And you're supposed to feed 'im, not harass 'im!"  
  
"Sorry." Hilde idly kicked a stone into the lake, sending up a splash of white foam. "All this prophecy business lately has gotten me interested in the old legends. Some of them are really bizarre."  
  
"Is that why we didn't see you earlier?" Duo lifted an eyebrow at her as he handed the basket over to Quatre, who eagerly dug into it. "Got lost in some old book?"  
  
"No." Glaring at him, she sat down. "I think someone might have been trying to follow me this morning. I couldn't be sure, so I ended up on a long hike through the thick of the city."  
  
Quatre choked on the milk he was drinking. Both his friends were at his side in an instant, pounding on his back. He knew they were only trying to help, but he had to wave them away before he could get his breath back. "Who was following you? Hilde, are you sure about this?"  
  
"Pretty sure. Something up in the trees, I could hear it moving behind me, but it was too far up to see." Her eyes darted up to the treetops as if she could still hear it. "I didn't go back to make sure, because I really didn't want whatever it was to know I knew it was there. But it was fairly large, bigger than a squirrel, anyway."  
  
"A dragon?" Quatre almost croaked.  
  
"Could be." Duo's amethyst eyes narrowed in thought. "They were furious when they found out you'd disappeared. The whole bunch have been swarming around like angry hornets. Queen Silva is convinced Relena had something to do with it, and Heero's this close," Duo held up his thumb and forefinger, squeezing them together with a nervous grin, "to just kicking the shit out of all of 'em."  
  
With a sigh, Quatre dropped his head between his legs and clasped his hands over his head. "This isn't working out at all. I thought the dragons might leave if they thought I'd run away, but things have only gotten worse for Relena. What do I do? I can't go back, I just can't. But if I stay..."  
  
"Stop talking like that!" Duo snapped. "It's only been two days. It's too soon to tell anything yet. And give Relena and Heero some credit. They'll be alright. Just worry about your own neck."  
  
Quatre couldn't help cringing a little. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's good to be out in the open again." He dropped his arms and lifted his head to meet Duo's almost expressionless face. What was he thinking? When he had that look, it meant he was thinking very seriously about something. Did he think Quatre was what the Draca claimed he was? No, that couldn't be it. Duo didn't believe in the prophecies. Duo was his best friend.   
  
Even so, he was relieved when the familiar grin returned to his friend's face. "We'll be fine, you'll see."   
  
***  
  
A whispering. That's what it sounded like. A low, deep whisper, alternating between frustrated and angry mutterings. If there were words, they were of no language that he knew of. And he knew every language that had survived the Apocalypse.  
  
"Master Treize, he's stirring up trouble again." Reflected in the cold crystal glass, a woman in a flowing burgandy robe stood behind him. Her long brown hair was tied in an elaborate bun, pinned with several thin reeds of golden crystal, creating a sort of halo. He couldn't help thinking she looked even more radiant than the sun.   
  
"My Lady, he is only a boy. Can not grown men and women, the Chosen of Char, no less, deal with a mere child?"  
  
The woman made a contemptuous sound. "The Chosen grow weaker with each generation. Yourself being the exception of course, Master. The boy is the blood of Char... They are all too aware of what he could bring down upon them at the whim of one of his moods."  
  
"Indeed." He frowned at his own reflection in the glass. The whispering almost sounded pleading now. "Send Dorothy to him," he went on absently. "She seems to distract him well enough."  
  
"Only a girl, and she can do what all those pompous fools out there can not. She is truly of your family's blood, Master Treize."  
  
His reflection smirked. "I believe she may have charmed the young cobra. I could not have planned anything quite so fortunate and convient. If we're lucky, we won't have nearly as much trouble as we did with his father."  
  
"A disgrace," she muttered with a shake of her head.  
  
The pleading had turned to sounds of despair. It was not the first time Treize had heard it, but there was a new intensity to it that was unusual. Something new was happening. And where THAT one was concerned, Treize had reason to worry. The fits of a spoiled child were trivial in comparison.  
  
Noticing his concentration, Lady Une stepped closer, her voice low. "Are you hearing the Ancient again?" She was fascinated, of course. They all were. It had been hundreds of years since a Chosen outside of Char's blood had been born with as much power as he possessed.   
  
The power to hear the minds of others was an extremely rare gift that he had used well to his advantage since his childhood. His control allowed him to tune out the thoughts of others at will, but there was one mind he was never able to block out completely. No matter what he did, it was always there in the background, a presence humming with sheer power.  
  
"Yes. Something is distressing him more than usual. I imagine you and even many of the others can sense the power that has been flaring in the far west these past weeks."  
  
"I try not to notice, provided it remains far from us." Lady Une replied, her mouth tight. "Even Char avoided the Ancient. We would be fools to meddle in what we could not hope to understand or control."  
  
"Yes, very true." Many times Treize had considered confronting the Ancient himself, to learn his secrets, to know what his power was. To know who and what the Ancient really was. But for all the fantasies, Treize was not a fool. The Ancient was as a force of nature. Yet, unlike most of nature's works, the Chosen could not control him. As long as the Ancient did not interfere, it was far wiser to leave him be.   
  
"Do you believe we should be concerned now?"  
  
There was fear in her eyes now. She had enough trouble handling their young charge. He could keep watch on this situation on his own. His reflection gave hers a reassuring smile. "Not yet. He has a history of going into unpresidented rages, but as you say, as long it remains far from us, there is nothing to worry about."  
  
It was more than a simple rage. Of that, he was certain. The view beyond the crystal glass was black and empty. The world created over a thousand years ago. Into this he stared as he tried to comprehend the meaning of mutterings that seemed to reach from beyond even time.  
  
***  
  
A cold autumn breeze tickled across Quatre's cheek, waking him to the sound of insistent insect calls and the swell and break of water against the lakeshore. The large hollow tree in which he slept, moaned and creaked as something very heavy moved through the branches. Cold fear suddenly shooting through him, Quatre opened his eyes to find he could see nothing in the darkness. But he could still hear it, just outside.  
  
Next to him, Duo still slept soundly. Suddenly very glad Duo had decided to stay the night, he shook his friend's shoulder urgently.  
  
"Uh... Huh?" Duo mumbled. "Quat?"  
  
"Shhh!" Quatre whispered nervously. "I heard something."  
  
"Wha?" He could practically hear Duo frowning at being woken up. His voice was scratchy, almost growling. "Are you sure? I don't hear anything."  
  
A moment passed. The treetops were silent.   
  
"Maybe it heard us." Quatre whispered.  
  
"You stay here." Duo moved to his feet. "I'll take a look."  
  
"Duo, don't!"  
  
There was no use arguing. Duo had thrown back the blanket hung over the doorway, making Quatre squint in the bright moonlight that washed into the small hideaway. Duo's shape moved through it, and was gone, dropping the blanket and the hollow back into darkness. With an agitated growl of his own, Quatre fumbled out after him.  
  
Despite the moonlight, the surrounding woods were a mass of black shadows. Even the lake surface looked black, except for sinewy ripples of light moving across the water. Duo was standing nearby, staring up into the mulberry's dark branches.  
  
"We should stay out of sight," Quatre whispered, glancing into the branches nervously.  
  
"Quatre!"  
  
He turned around to see Duo, terrified and rushing towards him. With a cry of surprise, he had no time to react as Duo ran right into him, pushing him back off his feet. Falling back over the bank and into the lake, he saw a big, dark green shape plow right Duo, driving him into the ground. The nightmarish sound of flesh ripping was all Quatre heard before he hit the water.  
  
His head impacted something hard beneath the lake's surface, and in a white flash of pain, he lost consciousness.  
  
***  
  
Heero's hands wouldn't stop shaking. What had he done?  
  
At his feet, a young, green dragon lay motionless, his neck brutally crushed. There had been no choice, he told himself, the dragon had been moments away from killing Duo. He had been aware of the boys' hiding place since the night of their escape from the palace. He had been keeping an eye on them, until he could finish preparing for his next planned course of action. Now it seemed he would have to implement his plan earlier than expected. It was a miracle he had arrived in time. He had been on his way to secretly see Rashid, when an urgent tickling had started in on the back of his neck. A tickling that told him he should check on the boys one more time. He shivered.  
  
What bothered Heero more, was that he had enjoyed killing the Draca far too much. The entire scenario before him had unfolded too quickly, his almost immediate response of lethal action, too eager. Unsteadily wiping the sweat from his brow, he moved back from the dead dragon and edged around it. He had dealt with mecha before, and monsters. He had experienced the world around the Cinq Kingdom. Never, had he considered himself an innocent. But this frightened him, unlike anything he had ever known. He had killed another sentient being. Another human being.  
  
He forced himself to look away. He couldn't fall apart now. He had to act fast. Everything depended on his actions now. Duo was nearby, lying unconscious on his back. Five bloody slashes, from a dragon's claws, had ripped his chest open. His chest moved weakly, and his breath rattled.  
  
"Duo..." Heero gritted his teeth. He hurriedly pulled off his jacket and lay it over over the wounds. Then he remembered Quatre. He looked over towards the lake, and saw his other friend's limp body floating, half-submerged in the water. His dark duster drifted to either side of him like shadowy wings.  
  
"Damnit!" Jumping in, he pulled Quatre out onto the lakeshore. Luckily, the blonde was still breathing, but he was out cold.   
  
Heero looked from one to the other. He couldn't leave either of them here. But there was no way he could carry both without risking further injury to Duo. If Quatre was discovered here by other Draca, he would be killed. But Duo needed help now, he couldn't wait.  
  
His heart jumped as a shadow fell across them. Looking up, he was afraid it was another dragon. Afraid of how much he hoped it was.  
  
A shadowy figure stood there on the lakeshore, wearing a dark gray cloak and hood. A round blue clasp at his neck shone brightly. There was something oddly familar about his voice. "Take care of Duo. I'll deliver this one to Rashid."  
  
"Who are you?" Heero demanded suspiciously. This guy hadn't been there a moment ago. And no one could sneak up on him like that.  
  
There was the briefest of pauses. "A friend. Sometimes a guardian angel. Sometimes a preying demon." He shook his head. "You have little choice in this. Take Duo, or he will die. I swear this... boy... will come to no harm."  
  
Wet blood soaked through Heero's jacket, staining his fingers. He swallowed hard. "Alright. We'll do this your way. If Quatre isn't safely at Rashid's house when I get there, I promise I'll make you wish you were never born."  
  
A strange, high-pitched giggle came from the stranger as he knelt beside Quatre. Heero was feeling uneasy about this arrangement, but as he carefully lifted Duo, he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He had to move quickly. He could simply intercept the stranger and take Quatre back on the return trip.  
  
"He'll be at Rashid's before you return," the stranger said quietly. "Hurry. There's little time..."  
  
"Take care of him, and keep out of sight!" Heero growled in warning, holding Duo carefully in his arms. Then he turned and disappeared into the night. Dark wind seemed to beat against him as he ran, unseen branches cutting and pulling at him. Duo rasped, struggling for breath against his chest.  
  
Hurry, hurry... He had to get back for Quatre's sake. And what of Relena now? What was going to happen to any of them, now? What were the Draca capable of? There was no time to think. Hold on Duo, he thought, just hold on...  
  
***  
  
Screaming... Oh, God, make the pain stop... Make the screaming stop... Quatre moaned, twisting violently. The screaming, it had brought him half out of sleep, but now it held him, torturing him at the edge of waking, like a nightmare. But this wasn't a nightmare... A hand was touching his neck. It was so leathery, maybe a glove. It made him feel sick.  
  
"You can feel it, can't you?" A soft whisper, echoing from far away. "Poor, wretched creature..."  
  
"Help..." Quatre croaked so softly, he wasn't really sure if he had spoken. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks. It hurt so much. Not a physical pain. The screaming torture was buried so far deeper than anything his body could feel.  
  
"Tears won't help you. You'll shed enough tears to drown the cosmos, but it will not bring you any peace." He voice seemed closer now. "There's only one way... I may be damned for all eternity for what I've done, for allowing this to continue when I know what I do... But it is the only way. I can't risk losing... You understand, don't you?" There was a high-pitched giggle.   
  
With a concentrated effort, Quatre tried jerking his body into full consciousness. His eyes opened wide. He gasped and thrashed... He could almost focus... A face was looking down at him. In the blur, he could only see that it had dark hair hanging in locks over his face.  
  
"H-Heero?"  
  
"Of course not," the blur seemed to mumble to himself. "You'll hate me as strongly as you ever loved..." The leathery glove moved from his neck to his cheek, and Quatre felt his stomach lurch violently.  
  
"There must be a way to kill you," the stranger suddenly said with an angry passion. "And if the end is inevitable, if that is indeed the only way... Then so be it!"  
  
Pure rage, undying hatred and despair flooded through Quatre. With a scream, Quatre arched in agony, his vision snapping into painful focus. There was no one there.  
  
"Quatre!"  
  
Slowly, the sickness faded away, and he found himself looking up at Rashid. He frowned as the world solidified around him. "R-Rashid?" He squeesed his eyes shut, still feeling a slight ache, a shadow of what he had endured. "What... Where am I?" Had he been dreaming after all? The sickness and the aches he felt... Had it all just been a fever dream? But he didn't dream...  
  
"You're home." Rashid said quietly. "How did you get out here? I heard you scream. What happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure..." Quatre frowned deeper, putting a hand to his face. "I- I was with Duo, and then I fell in the water..."   
  
"Rashid, is that Quatre?" Heero stepped out from the forest trail around the side of the cabin. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a green tanktop. Quatre blinked and struggled to get up.   
  
"Yes, did you bring him here? I thought we had agreed..."  
  
"There's been an incident." Heero growled. "We'll have to leave tonight."  
  
"So they've found him."   
  
Heero nodded, looking around intently. "Where is the cloaked man that brought Quatre? I wanted to talk to him. He shouldn't have been able to get here and leave before me."  
  
Rashid glanced around and frowned at Heero. "A cloaked man? I saw no one. I heard Quatre scream, and when I came out here, there was only him, thrashing around on the ground."   
  
"P-Prophet..." Quatre pushed himself up to his knees. "I think it was him..."  
  
He gasped as Rashid pulled him up roughly by the shoulder. He shrunk back a little at the fierce look his guardian was giving him.   
  
"Quatre, it's dangerous for you to assume these things." Rashid growled. "It could have been anyone. Even someone working for the Draca, trying to concoct another reason to incriminate you."  
  
Quatre stared in amazement. Veteran of the Doomsday War, survivor of Doomsday itself, his very own Rashid, was actually scared. He looked upset, but Quatre could see the fear in his eyes. Please, he thought, don't be scared, Rashid. You can't start believing this insanity too... Please don't...  
  
Heero was quiet. When Quatre finally turned to look at him, it seemed to prompt the prince into action, and he strode forward. His eyes were steeling themselves for something Quatre knew he didn't want to hear.  
  
"That isn't important right now." Heero easily hefted the large pack on his shoulder. "Quatre, the Draca have started sending assassins after you. And as you've realized, Relena can no longer protect you without jeopardizing the welfare and stability of the entire kingdom. The only way we can help you now is to get some real answers."  
  
It was useless to argue. Quatre just shook his head sorrowfully. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go all the way. But it was the only option left.  
  
"We're leaving Cinq, Quatre."  
  



	7. Chapter 6

Beyond Omega   
by Maria Rocket  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: For all warnings and pairings, see chapter 1.  
To those who commented last chapter, thank you, thank you!!! I've been so curious as to what others opinions about what's going on in the story are, and I really appreciate them. Oh, and yes, Treize and Une are in the story. I really just mentioned the main pairings in the first chapter notes, but there are a few other ones in here. Since it was asked, yes again, Zechs and Noin are definitely showing up here later on. Well, anyone still reading, thanks muchly! ^__^  
  
All previous chapters of this fic can be found here:  
http://gundamthing.50g.com/gwomega.html  
  
  
***  
  
We had a life, we had a love,  
But you don't know what you've got 'til you lose it  
Well that was then and this is now  
And I want you back  
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry  
  
I only wanted someone to love  
But something happened on the way to heaven  
It got a hold of me and wouldn't let go  
And I want you back  
How many times do I have to say I'm sorry  
  
You can run, and you can hide  
But I'm not leaving less you come with me  
We've had our problems but I'm on your side  
You're all I need, please believe in me  
  
How can something so good go so bad  
How can something so right go so wrong  
I don't know, I don't have all the answers  
But I want you back  
How many times can I say I'm sorry  
  
They say you can't take it with you  
When you go  
And I believe it  
But taking what I've got or being  
here with you, you know  
I'd rather leave it  
  
You can run...  
  
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"  
by Phil Collins  
  
***  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
  
  
"Leave?" Quatre's voice sounded so small to his own ears. "For how long?"  
  
"For as long as it takes." Heero told him. "I know some people in the Southernlands that might be able to help us. If nothing else, it'll be a perfect place to hide. The rainforests down there are so thick, you could easily lose yourself in them forever if you aren't careful."  
  
"What about Duo?" As the ache in his head faded away, Quatre remembered the last time he had seen his best friend. His voice rose in a panic. "Duo! The dragon, he got Duo! Where is he!?"  
  
"Duo will be fine." Heero put his hands on Quatre's shoulders to prevent him from running off. "He was seriously injured, but the doctors will be able to help him."  
  
"But I..." Quatre shook his head. "I can't go without Duo! I have to stay until he's better. I can hide again, Heero, just for a while..."   
  
"No, Quatre, you have to get out of here while you still can. Duo couldn't come even if he wasn't hurt. He's better off staying here where he's safe."  
  
"No!" Quatre shouted roughly, trying hopelessly to break Heero's grip. "I won't go anywhere without Duo! I can't, I..." He'd never been anywhere without Duo before. Not like this. He squeezed his eyes shut, and his voice became small again. "Can't I at least see him before we go? Who knows when I'll ever be able to see him again."  
  
When he opened his eyes, he was surprised at the sympathy in Heero's blue eyes. Of course, Quatre wasn't the only one leaving Cinq behind. Had he been able to see Relena before coming here?   
  
"I'm sorry, but it's too risky." Heero said softly. "You know Duo wouldn't want you to endanger yourself like that." He let his hands slip from Quatre's shoulders. "You had better go pack, and be quick about it. This is one of the first places the Draca are bound to look for you."  
  
"Come on, Quatre, I'll help you." Rashid said, gently leading him towards the house.  
  
"I know..." Quatre whispered. "But Duo would have wanted to come..."  
  
***  
  
Very few shirts went into the black backpack. It was very warm down in the Southernlands, even at that time of year. But even so, Rashid found room for several pairs of jeans he had bought for Quatre during the past few days. Finishing the packing, he turned to find Quatre staring into his closet.   
  
The boy had changed into dry clothes, but he still held the dripping blue duster. "Is there anything else especially important about myself that I should know before I leave?" His voice was bitter.  
  
"I told you before Quatre," Rashid said with a heavy weariness. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the whole truth about your birthmark. That's because I couldn't be sure of the truth. You were too young to have to worry about it. You still are."  
  
"You still lied. You... You lied to me, Rashid."  
  
The hurt and betrayal in Quatre's voice tore at him. He had been so preoccupied during the entire ordeal, and now, there simply wasn't enough time for him to make Quatre understand why he had acted the way he had.   
  
"I only wanted to protect you, Quatre. Because I care about you. And your mother wouldn't have wanted you to grow up with these wild ideas about who you are."  
  
Now Quatre turned his face and frowned at him. "Can I trust what you say my mother would have wanted? And what about my father?" His voice broke on the word. "You know, I've had a lot of time to think lately. And I've realized that you never really talk about father at all. Why is that, Rashid?"  
  
Those dark blue eyes, shadowed beneath dirty, uncombed blonde hair, seemed to burn right into him, demanding an answer. As he paused, they began to shimmer with unshed tears. Rashid knew that whatever answer he gave, could be damning. To tell another lie, was something Quatre might never forgive, should the truth ever come out. But the truth, what little to none Rashid knew, could needlessly haunt the boy.   
  
"Your mother never told me who your father was." Rashid said sincerely. "But she was very much in love with our captain. I assumed he must have been your father. And he was a very normal, good man. He died in Doomsday with everyone else." It was the truth. He had no proof the cloaked man he had seen with Quaterine that one time had been a Wizard. And the Captain was the one he had long suspected of being Quatre's father. She had been so determined that he not know of her pregnancy. Yes, it was the truth.  
  
It had to be.  
  
The accusation in Quatre's eyes faded, leaving him with a weary look. "I'm sorry, Rashid. I know this isn't your fault. You've done everything for me, and I..."  
  
"Try not to worry too much about it." He knelt down to gather Quatre into a tight hug. "It's who you are that's important, not what others say you are. Just be true to yourself. And listen to Prince Heero. You need to trust him now."  
  
The small boy seemed to shrink against him. "Why can't you come with us?"  
  
"I'll only slow you down."  
  
"I don't want to go..." Thin fingers grasped the front of Rashid's robe. "It feels too much like goodbye. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't come back, ever."  
  
Maybe that would be best. If Quatre never returned, then there really was no need to be concerned. Right? "I don't know if you can come back. But I will see you again. I'll meet up with you elsewhere if I have to. And I'll tell Duo when he's recovered."  
  
Quatre's grip loosened a little. "Thank you..."   
  
Seeing that the boy still held the wet duster, Rashid tried to pull it away. Quatre shook his head and refused to give it up. "Quatre, let go. It's soaked."  
  
"I want to take it with me. Please, Rashid?"  
  
"If you insist... You won't be needing it where you're going."  
  
"I know," Quatre stepped back, holding the coat to his chest again. "I just want to keep a memory of you with me."  
  
Rashid smiled in understanding. "I WILL meet up with you again. Don't let yourself worry so much." He took the wet coat and folded it. He would find a place for it in Quatre's pack. "Heero will take care of you." He was trying to assure himself as much as Quatre. "You'll be fine, we'll make it through this."  
  
Quatre gave a sad nod. Then with a whimper, he jumped forward to hug Rashid a last time.  
  
***  
  
Slouching back in the stiff seat, Quatre was uncomfortable. Heero had found them a hovercraft to take them over the treacherous Mayak Mountains. Unfortunately, it was a cargocarrier, and the fold-out seats in the hold were not ideal for a trip that would last at least three days. Trying to ignore the growing crick in his neck, Quatre turned to look outside the little oval-shaped window beside him. There was no moon. Glittering stars were scattered across the sky.   
  
It was the first clear night since... Since the night he had left home with Heero. Shortly after leaving, the air had become thick with fog. For several days they had been constantly on the move, Heero carrying Quatre on his back the entire time. They had not stopped for more than a few minutes at a time, moving steadily, not as quickly as Heero could go, but fast enough to stay ahead of anyone who might be following. Quatre had been surprised at how smooth the journey across the kingdom had been. Heero's feet didn't even seem to touch the ground, it had felt more like they were flying than running. Silently, they had traveled within the cover of dark mist to the southernmost point of Cinq.  
  
And now they were crossing over the Mayak Mountains, the borderlands between Cinq and Rainsoul. Quatre pulled up the collar of his blue duster and pulled it tightly closed across his chest. He couldn't sleep.  
  
Unlike Heero, who had fallen into a deep sleep after take-off. He was sitting nearby, breathing softly. Now that they were surely alone, Quatre wanted to talk to him again, but he wasn't going to disturb him. After days without sleep, Heero deserved to rest.  
  
Quatre closed his eyes. Everything was lightly vibrating with the thin hum of the engine. With nothing else to distract him, the sound and noise was making him anxious. The longer he dwelled on it, the more it disturbed him. An image of threads of searing green electricity flashed behind his eyes, and he opened them with a frightened moan.  
  
Wiping at his sweaty face with shaking hands, he looked over at Heero, who was still asleep. Had he imagined it? Turning towards the window, he was surprised to see that the sky was becoming the faded blue of first light.   
  
Strange. He was sure he had only closed his eyes for a few minutes. Morning should not have arrived so soon. Staring back into the valley they were leaving behind, he saw the first golden rays of light spilling over the horizon. As the glow spread, Quatre also felt a warmth spread inside him. He smiled dreamily. It was... beautiful. So beautiful. As the golden orb of the sun slowly rose, he realized that he was looking at the same view of the valley that he had been staring at for weeks. It was exactly the same as the painting of the sunset in his room back at the palace. At least, he had thought it was a sunset. Now he wasn't sure.  
  
Resting his cheek against the window, he stared out at it, soaking up the warmth until the valley was long out of sight.  
  
***  
  
Heero glanced out at the dark mist billowing around them. Flying like this made him uncomfortable. It wasn't that he didn't trust the pilots or the equipment to steer them through the jagged mountaintops safely. But he knew from experience that just about anything could be flying around out there...  
  
He tore his sharp eyes away from the mist. It was no use dwelling on it. If something was out there, he could do nothing about it. His attention shifted towards Quatre. The boy was asleep again. He had hardly stirred since they'd entered the thick mist of the mountains, only waking for a short while each time it was time for a meal. Heero wasn't afraid of Quatre, but any unusual behavior was something he meant to keep a close watch of. He could do that, at least.  
  
Back home, Relena was surely in a bigger mess than before. They had both known it was inevitable. Still, that made it no easier to sit where he was, while Relena was left to face the wrath of the Draca by herself.  
  
And Duo. Despite the reassurances he gave Quatre, he was himself worried about what had become of their friend. Duo had been in extremely poor condition when he was left in the care of the hospital staff.   
  
Maybe the world itself wasn't ending, but he felt like his personal life was coming close to it. He was teetering so close to possibly losing two of his best friends, and he had no idea when he would ever see Relena again, the person he had been born to protect. And the Draca, the wise guardians of the eastern border, had gone mad.  
  
He couldn't imagine how anyone, especially little Quatre, could make things any worse.  
  
***  
  
"They know... They know you!"  
  
The high pitched laughter faded into a pained whine. The emerald light hurt, it seared him. But there was no escaping it. Quatre was the light.  
  
"No," he howled. "No!" The light flared. "Hurts..."  
  
"We must all die. We are diseased... sick... dying... Your fault."  
  
The light twisted and screamed.   
  
Away. He had to get away. To make it stop. Desperately, he tried to focus on another place, before the pain... But that hurt too much. No, there had always been pain, he had always been sick. But once...  
  
"No! I don't want to remember that! I HATE him! Never speak that name! NEVER!" A roar rippled through the sickly green light.   
  
But there was another lifetime... After the first mistake... But before the unforgivable crime... There was something there that he dearly wanted to remember... Something he wanted back. Desperate to escape the indescrible agony, he let his mind wander away, to a happier place, long since gone.  
  
But even the memory could be cruel.  
  
  
God, his head hurt. The cold plate beneath his forehead only helped a very little. Opening his eyes a bit, he could see the crawling, infested city outside his highrise apartment, groping out its grimy metal and glass fingers as far as the eye could see and beyond. In the far distance, he could barely make out the hellish red glow of the setting sun through the omnipresent shroud of black smoke that choked the city. He scratched his fingernails against the glass window. He hurt so bad. He wanted out. He didn't want to be out there, but he wanted to get out. The doctors told him it was too much stress from his work, and that he needed to relax. But they just didn't understand. He had felt this way since he was a child, maybe always. It felt like he wanted to burst out of his own head and rip off his skin.   
  
With a moan, he staggered back from the window. Big dark eyes, almost black, stared back at him. They were set in a lean, tanned face, framed with silky black hair that didn't quite reach his shoulders. His scraggly, limp dog-like hair, he thought. No, he had seen dogs with better hair than his! He scowled at his reflection, pulling at his uneven bangs in frustration. God, he hated his hair.  
  
And it didn't help that his usually boyish face looked years older than his thirty-two years when he was in pain like this. He had to do something. As he turned around, his eyes went to a fork on the table. He picked it up. Feeling the cold metal under his thumb, he glanced uncertainly to the wallclock, then to the front door. As his eyes moved along the wall, he began to tremble.   
  
He didn't have much time. But surely... Just very quickly... To make the pain go away...  
  
He licked his lips. And the doorbell rang.  
  
The fork clattered to the floor as he gave a start. Fumbling nervously, he replaced the fork on the carefully set table, and dashed to the door. He paused to quickly smooth his shirt, and raised two crossed fingers above his head in a silent, very fervent prayer, before composing a sweet smile on his face and calmly opening the door. "Terra! Hello!"  
  
The woman at the door smiled ruefully. "C'mon Max, all I get is a 'hello?'"   
  
Before he could reply, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him in a way that made his knees weak. And as she pressed against him, he forgot all about the pain. It was so tempting to just forget about dinner too and skip straight to the bedroom. When she ended the kiss, he tried to chase her lips, but was met by her teasing jade eyes and the tip of her finger against his mouth instead. She really was a tease. And he loved her that way.  
  
Terra was a willowy woman with long white-gold hair that seemed to float around her like a cloud. Since the first time he saw her at the library, he was completely bewitched by her. For the first time in his life, he loved someone as much as he loved... his work. No, he loved her even more, he was sure of it. There was just something very special about her. What she saw in him, he still had no idea.  
  
Smiling with delight, he pulled her to the dinner table.  
  
As usual, Max spent most of the dinner conversation asking Terra how things were going at the library. She was in a constant struggle to keep the old library from closing down for good. Almost no one read books anymore, and the Supreme Council believed the large buildings were a waste of valuable space. The historic societies were fighting to keep them in service, but public opinion weighed against them more and more each year.   
  
With a sigh, Terra set aside her plate with Max's. "I think we'll be resorting to candles soon." She crossed her arms and frowned. "Now the Council is saying we're wasting power resources. Can you believe it? They have all those gaudy lights all over their building, and they say our little table lamps are waste!?" She met his eyes again with a look of exasperation. "Next, we'll be probably be a fire hazard."  
  
If only... His hands twitched slightly. He shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Terra."  
  
She blinked, then smiled. "What for? It isn't your fault the Supreme Council is full of idiots."  
  
Max stared down at his fork, then looked back up at her with a small chuckle. "I guess you're right about that." But if only it was finished... Then the Council wouldn't be able to make any more excuses. If only he put in some more hours, worked faster... He could help Terra, do something worthwhile for her...  
  
"What's this?" Terra raised an eyebrow at the crystal ball between them on the table. "Don't tell me you're becoming a fortune teller."  
  
With a chuckle, Max placed his fingertips on the crystal and his dark eyes looked up at her from beneath his hair. "Okay, I won't tell you. However, I must warn you of a tall dark stranger in your future." He smirked. "And since I'm not tall, he better not touch you!"  
  
They laughed, and Max sat back in his chair.  
  
"Really now." Terra smiled. She gave the crystal a more skeptical look. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with... you know... the incidents that have been happening lately, would it? I know you work at that big-shot research facility that's got everybody in an uproar. So what kind of mad scientist stuff are you doing up there?"  
  
"Oh, you know, the usual." He shrugged with a wry grin, leaning in. "Putting together monsters and testing death rays." His smiled faded and he shook his head with a frown. "I don't know how people can swallow that crap the papers are saying. If they only knew how important our work is... That we're trying to fix-" he waved a hand at the cityscape behind him. "That."  
  
Terra rested her face in her hand and studied his face for a moment. "So there really isn't any connection between your lab and the spontaneous explosions throughout the city."   
  
"Please Terra, those are just randomly occuring storms. Probably ball lightning." He threw his hands out, becoming agitated. "I can't imagine how people can be so surprised. Our atmosphere is so fucked up, they should be used to freak weather by now." Closing his eyes, he rubbed at his forehead. It was starting to hurt again.  
  
His free hand was grasped by Terra. "Max."  
  
He opened his eyes. Terra was giving him a look of concern and worry. He forced a weak smile to his face. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to take it out on you. It just gets so frustrating sometimes."  
  
"I know." Terra nodded, her green eyes understanding. She squeezed his hand gently. "Max, are you well? You look terrible."  
  
"Don't worry about me." Max squeezed back with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Look." He leaned in and moved a tiny dial at the base of the crystal ball. Terra gave a small gasp as a tiny light flared to life in the center of it. The air shimmered and colors fractured around the spark.  
  
"What is that?" Terra blinked and narrowed her eyes at it.  
  
"My life's work." He said, almost fondly. "This is going to change the world, Terra." In a way he might caress her own face, he touched the crystal surface with his fingertips. "Limitless, pure, power." Electric blue strands of light shot out from the spark to meet his touch. They shimmered and danced to follow his fingertips like they were alive...  
  
"Wait, isn't that a plasma ball?" Terra frowned.   
  
"No, it isn't a plasma ball." Max lifted his face to meet her eyes. "This is a tiny working model of what I'm experimenting with in the lab." He took her hand that was in his, and placed it on the crystal surface. He knew from the widening of her emerald eyes, that she could feel the deep resonance within. "More powerful than a billion stars, and infinitely safer than manipulating atoms. There is no waste. Only pure power, secure within the crystal. You simply need to know the right song to coax it out." He smiled.  
  
"So, the crystal is creating the light?"   
  
"I don't think so." Max took her other hand and placed it on the crystal. Twining their fingers together, he traced lazy circles of light against the surface. He did the same with their other joined hands. "I think of it more as a doorway. A point of entry."  
  
Terra looked up at him with those eyes, so deep, he nearly forgot what he was talking about. "A doorway from where?"  
  
Max swallowed hard. "Ah, um, I don't know. Yet." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Daniel thinks we may have tapped into a source of dark matter." He gave a shrug. "We only have theories. We really haven't any idea where it's coming from. What's important at this stage is that it's real."  
  
"Hmm." Terra looked down at the blue threads dancing beneath their fingers. "Daniel... He's your partner, isn't he? I'm sure I've heard you mention him before."  
  
"Yeah... He's been working on this with me since... since..." It was becoming difficult to talk with Terra's fingers rubbing up and down the backs of his hands. "...Since..." She was getting up. "Ah, since we..." She was moving around the table. "...we were in college together. Terra?"  
  
"Yes?" She was sitting across his lap now, playing with the buttons on his shirt.   
  
Max shifted restlessly in his seat as one came undone. "I don't think I can explain any further while you're sitting there." He said, slightly breathless. "You're very distracting."  
  
Terra leaned in close with a dark, lascivious smile. "Good."  
  
  
Good... So good... But it was just an echo.   
  
And the torment plunged through Quatre anew.   
  
"Terra! TERRA!" He wailed helplessly, hopelessly.  
  
"TERRAAAAAAAAA!!!"   
  
Emerald energy flared and CRACKED.  
  
***  
  
A sudden movement caught his eye, and Heero looked over.  
  
Fingers gripping the armrests so hard his nails were snapping, Quatre was tensing up. His eyes were tightly closed while his face twisted up into a grimace that was threatening to become a snarl. Sweat beaded his face.   
  
Now the poor kid was having nightmares. Intending to wake him up, Heero stood.  
  
Suddenly, an intense flash of light threw him down. He thought he heard Quatre cry out, but that was quickly drowned out by a fierce roar of thunder. Before he could do anything at all, Heero found himself falling away into dark mist. The air crackled with static.  
  
***  
  
For a few terrifying minutes, Quatre couldn't remember who he was. Streamers of gray water fell from the dark mist swirling above. He was soaked. Taking slow, shuddering breaths into his lungs, he began to remember.   
  
He had been in a hovercraft with Heero. He had been asleep, he was sure. But then, where was he now? Almost daring to wish everything had just been a dream, Quatre moved to lift himself up. And instantly fell back with a choked cry of pain.  
  
Trying to support himself, he had stabbed his arms with hundreds of jagged glass pieces. And as he fell back, he realized that his back was also imbedded with glass shards. A small whimper escaped him. His back and shoulders felt like ground meat. The back of his head was surely a bloody mess.  
  
Biting down on his lip, he gingerly pulled himself to his feet. Swaying on his feet, he stared dully at the glass crunching beneath his boots. It glowed with a faint greenish tint. Not glass. Crystal. Wizard Crystal.  
  
He was standing where the hovercraft's engine had once been.  
  
Splintered trees and crushed metal intertwined seemed to be growing out of the soft earth. Here, it was still deep shadow. But turning his eyes up, Quatre saw the first signs of sunlight reaching through the forest canopy.  
  
The forest itself was unlike anything Quatre had seen before. There were no trees like these back home. They were spidery, branches twisting everywhere. It was nearly impossible to tell where each tree stopped and another started. The foilage was so much greener and thicker than anything back home. And darker. And scarier.  
  
Wincing, he worked at pulling the crystal shards out of his arms. They were bleeding a lot, but there was nothing he could do for it. He cut his hands even more trying to remove the shards from his back. He managed some of it, but some crystal pieces seemed firmly imbedded in his shoulders. The blood was soaking through his shirt, sticking the sleeves and the back to his skin. Feeling weak, he slowly made his way through the wreckage. He had to find Heero.  
  
Instead, he found the pilots. At least what was left of them.   
  
Lightheaded, he stared blankly for a moment, not quite understanding what he was seeing. As comprehension came on him, his stomach knotted. Stumbling to get away, he fell against a mossy tree trunk. Clutching it to keep himself upright, he gave a few dry heaves before he was able to recover. Forcing himself to keep his eyes away from what was on the ground behind him, he looked up to see a strip of metal that had been stabbed into the tree. Dark cloth hung from it like a banner. It was his duster, hanging from a rip through one of the sleeves. Pulling it down, the damp fabric tore easily. Although he was already soaked to the bone, he pulled it on, wanting more between him and the strange new place he had arrived in.  
  
His boots squealched through thick mud as he carefully made his way around the tree. It was difficult to keep himself from tripping over intricate roots that looped as through they were made to catch his feet. Slowly, he made his way through the dark skeletal remains of the cargoship, praying that Heero was still alive.  
  
***  
  
God damn lightning. With his luck, he was going to be killed before he even hit ground. Heero glared away at the quickly dwindling green smear falling into the distance. Damn it! The engine must have been hit.   
  
Branches and wet foilage suddenly crashed around him. He threw his arms out and frantically seized at anything to slow his descent to the forest floor. Tree limbs snapped and dragged down in his grip, and birds and various animals fled screaming as Heero fell tier by tier deeper into their treetop world.  
  
His face and every exposed surface of his skin was being lashed mercilessly by the claw-like branches as he passed, the air and leaves softly hissing like an immense wild animal. Finally, slowing down, he caught a firm branch under one knee and held tight. Just then, it all finally gave way without warning, and he jerked as he fell head first into open air. Dangling by one knee, he stared down at the forest floor, still very far below.  
  
Blood and rain streaked across his vision, distorting his usually enhanced eyesight. If there was something unpleasant waiting for him down there, he was going to have to find out the hard way. Despite the racket he had made on the way down, maybe nothing had heard him. Without a sound, he let go of the branch, flipped over in midair with a feline grace, and landed as silent as a feather.  
  
His jacket wiggled. Oh no, he'd forgotten! Hastily, he unzippered his jacket and reached in. A very ruffled mass of jungle green feathers and jewel-like blue scales with a big yellow beak was pulled out. The Bimary gave a squawk of dismay.  
  
Heero examined the bird-like creature and was relieved to find it unharmed. His pet had been too unusual to stay out in the open when they had first set out, but there in Rainsoul, the natural habitat of the Bimary, there was no chance of Klarn standing out. Hugging Klarn to his chest, he smoothed its feathers and rubbed the back of its glossy head. A cuddle always calmed the creature. And it calmed Heero too. At least a little.  
  
He had to get moving. The odds weren't good, but maybe, somehow, Quatre had survived the crash. Releasing Klarn into the air, he moved forward. One step, a faster second step, an even faster third step, moving smoothly into a run. The world zipped by him at a blur, but his razor sharp eyes somehow caught every detail, every movement around him as he passed. To Heero, running was one of the most exhilarating things in the world. He was as if one with the wind and light, flying without ever leaving the ground. One wrong step could kill him. That dangerous thrill, for some reason, only drove him faster.  
  
As his foot caught in a tangled root, he landed on one hand, flipped over, freeing his foot, then continued on running, never losing speed. To survive in a place like Rainsoul, one had to have quick reflexes. And an even quicker mind. So far, there seemed to be nothing seriously dangerous around. He wanted it to remain that way at least until he could find Quatre.   
  
Deep down, Heero wasn't sure if he really wanted to find Quatre. The glow given off by the hovercraft as it went down meant that the Crystal that powered the engine had been struck, possibly broken. The energy released would have been more than enough to reduce the entire cargocarrier to charred scrap. Since Quatre had been sitting approximately above where the hovercraft engine was situated... It was almost fantasy to suppose he could have survived. Heero had survived by being thrown out by the shockwave. And being what he was, he could withstand far greater stresses than a normal person. However, a normal person sitting on top of a blast like that... No, he couldn't give up hope so easily. He refused to give up.  
  
It was difficult to tell exactly where the cargocarrier had gone down, but he continued in the general direction of the crash, hoping to come across a sign of it. After a while, he caught scent of something that he had been dreading. The sharp tang of blood. And lots of it. Heero stopped, digging a gouge into the damp, muddy earth beneath his sneakers.  
  
Proceeding slowly, he saw some scattered debris, mostly the remains of cargo containers, some sunken deep into the mud. Sitting on one of the containers, was Quatre. Heero could barely bring himself to believe it. But there he was, at first glance, seemingly unscathed, his shoulders hunched over, eyes cast down at ground. But as the boy became aware of his presence, he lifted his head, revealing big frightened eyes.  
  
His hair, plastered to his face, was soaked and matted with blood and mud, making him look like a boy with auburn hair, not blonde. His hands and clothes were equally stained. His hands in particular looked as though he had washed them in blood. Whatever injuries he had were surely serious, but Quatre leapt to his feet and ran to up to him.  
  
"Heero!" The boy threw his arms around Heero's neck and clung, shaking. "I thought... The pilots, they're dead, Heero."  
  
A bit awkwardly, Heero returned the embrace. He still couldn't believe it. "H-How... How did you survive the crash?" He asked in amazement.  
  
"I don't know. I just woke up, and everything was wrecked." Quatre pulled back, glancing back without turning his head, looking as though something terrible lay beyond them. He quickly looked back to Heero. "What happened? Did they come after us?"  
  
"It wasn't the Draca." Heero said, regaining some of his composure. "I think it was lightning. We're both lucky to be alive." He frowned at the dark blood stains on Quatre's arms and shoulders. He moved around him and saw darker stains his back. "Quatre, where are you hurt?" Without waiting for an answer, he began removing the coat.  
  
"There's still a little pain in my back, I wasn't able to get all the broken Crystal out." Quatre said, unbuttoning his shirt to allow Heero to peel it off. "I must've fallen into what was left of the engine. I really got myself cut up."  
  
Heero cringed inwardly. His friend's back was a huge mess of thickly clotted blood. Yet, as he searched for injury, he was unable to find any. The only fresh blood came from the pieces of Crystal still stuck in Quatre's back, which he easily removed. But other than that, there was not a mark. Not a single wound on his back, nor on his head or arms that could explain all that blood. It was fortunate that he was not as badly hurt as Heero had first thought, but the strangeness of it made him uneasy. That Quatre had survived at all was incredible. That Quatre had walked away with hardly a scratch was unbelievable.   
  
"Heero? Is it really bad?" Quatre asked uncertainly when Heero remained silent.  
  
"No." Heero walked back around and met Quatre's questioning look. "It's just a lot of blood. One of those small cuts on your back must have been a real bleeder. As long as it doesn't get infected you should be fine."  
  
Quatre rubbed his arms, feeling them with a troubled expression. "Are you sure? I was cut. Deep cuts, all over my arms, I know I was."  
  
Overhead, Klarn circled in shadow, giving a brief high-pitched call. Heero glanced up with a frown. The Bimary wouldn't land if it sensed a possibility of danger. He dropped his eyes back down to Quatre, who looked back up at him.  
  
"And what happened to your face? You've got a lot of thin scars all over."  
  
Heero's mouth curled a bit. "I had a rough landing."  
  
"Through a cheese grater?" Quatre blinked, still taking in all Heero's scars.  
  
"A grater would have been less painful, I think." Heero turned to take in their surroundings. "It's nothing. I heal very quickly. But we had better get away from here and find someplace to clean up. There are things in this forest that would never leave us be if they so much as caught a scent of our blood."  
  
Quatre cast a look around like a spooked animal. Heero didn't mean to scare him, but he needed to learn of the dangers quickly if he was to survive. "Then let's get out of here." Quatre said in almost a whisper.  
  
With a nod, Heero led him away.  
  
***  
  
They traveled slowly. Now that they were beyond the borders of Cinq, there was no need to rush. Even if the Draca were to search the Southernlands for them, they would have an extremely difficult time finding them in the immense jungles of Rainsoul. And in this beautiful wild land, dangerous creatures, even monsters, still roamed freely. Some were very fast, and would take notice of a GESS speeding through their territory. For Quatre's sake, it was safer to move as discretely as possible.  
  
Heero could hear flowing water somewhere in the distance, and hoped they would find a village soon. He needed to get them properly cleaned up and get his bearings. A grungy couple of guys covered in blood were too suspicious to escape notice.  
  
After a long walk, Heero had them stop before sunset to find a place to sleep for the night. He chose a mossy patch beneath some bushes, where Quatre almost immediately collapsed and curled up. Heero was determined not to sleep until they reached a village. While they still carried a blood scent, it was too dangerous to be caught unawares.   
  
The young prince sat beside Quatre, his arms folded across his knees.  
  
Quatre was not yet asleep, and he spoke quietly. "Heero..."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Thank you for being here with me. I know it's asking a lot of you to leave Relena behind with the Draca to help me like this." Quatre wrapped his arms around himself. "Thank you for not abandoning me. I just hope... I hope this all turns out alright. I never meant to cause you and Relena so much trouble. I didn't mean to get those pilots killed."  
  
Heero turned to look at him with a slight frown. "Quatre. You didn't kill those pilots. That lightning would have hit them whether we were on board or not."  
  
"Oh." Quatre paused. "I guess you're right. But I still feel responsible. Everything that goes wrong lately seems to be my fault."  
  
"Quatre," said Heero firmly, "it's not your fault. It's the Draca's fault. They're the ones causing problems for Relena, not you. You haven't done anything wrong."  
  
"Are you sure?" Quatre said in a tiny voice. "The mark is real, Heero."  
  
"You are more than your birthmark, and you know that." Heero growled. He didn't like Quatre doubting himself like this. "I know that, and Relena and Duo know that. You're our friend. That's why I'm here with you. Nothing else matters. The Draca can go to hell."  
  
Quatre gave a small sob.  
  
"Get some sleep, Quatre." Heero said softly.  
  
And in a few minutes, Quatre did fall asleep. And Heero continued to sit quietly and perfectly still by his side. After some time, the air became dark as the last light of day faded into night. From somewhere up above, Klarn came and perched on his shoulder. Heero reached up to stroke the Bimary idly. Somewhere out in the distance, strange bird calls twittered the arrival of night, but all was peaceful.  
  
Then the hooded figure was suddenly just there. Like a shadow stretching into quick existence, he appeared from nowhere right in front of them.  
  
"Who are you?" Heero demanded, springing to his feet, his heart beating fiercely. Klarn squawked warily, clenching tightly to his shoulder. Damn it, he hadn't heard a thing! Not so much as an insect crawled near without his knowing it. The stranger had approached without making a sound! It wasn't right.  
  
"I am who I am."   
  
"What kind of answer is that? Show your face." Heero clenched his fists reflexively. There was something very familiar about the voice, but what it was eluded him.  
  
"An answer whose question never should have been pursued." The stranger replied evenly. With only a slight hesitation, he lifted his gloved hands and pushed his hood back from his face. It was a youthful face, with an surprisingly open smile that seemed completely out of place on that face. It was Heero's face.  
  
Heero stepped back with a choked sound. "What the hell is this!? A-Are you...?!"  
  
"Maybe. That isn't important. I'm here because there's something I needed for you to know."  
  
It made sense now. Only a Wizard could appear out of nowhere like that. They could create elaborate illusions, and some even were said to really be able to shapeshift. Just like... No, Heero wasn't about to let his imagination run that far away from him. This was not Prophet. Just some Wizard who had survived the Doomsday War. That was more than bad enough. "What do you want?" Heero grated, forcing himself to stand his ground.  
  
His eyes in the Wizard's face seemed sorrowful now. Almost apologetic.   
  
"I want you to know it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done to prevent it."  
  
Heero blinked. He hadn't expected to hear that. "What wasn't my fault?"  
  
It was strange to watch his own face contort for a moment. The other opened his mouth and inclined slightly, as if he desperately wanted to say something more, but he reigned it in with visible effort. "Just remember that." His eyes flickered over toward where Quatre still slept with an unreadable expression. Then he roughly pulled his hood back over his head, and sharply turned his now shadowed face back to Heero.   
  
Then he was gone as if he never was.  



End file.
